A Comparison of the Mallampati evaluation in neutral or extended cervical spine positions for predicting difficult laryngoscopy, tracheal intubation, and bag mask ventilation in diabetic patients

Abstract

. This study performed to evaluate extended neck mallampati sensitivity and specificity in diabetic patients. Methods: Seventy-one diabetic patients enrolled in this study. Modified mallampati (MMP) and extended neck mallampati (EMS) evaluated in patients before intubation. Then anesthesia performed and bag-mask ventilation, laryngoscopy and intubation difficulty evaluated in these patients. Results: We found a sensitivity of 14.3%, 0% and 9.5% for bag-mask ventilation, laryngoscopy and intubation difficulty, respectively for EMS. Specificity of EMS was 93% for bag-mask ventilation, 90% for laryngoscopy and 92% for intubation. Positive predictive value of EMS was 33.3% for difficult intubation.