Scientiic Article Reevaluation of the Airways of Obese Patients Undergone Bariatric Surgery after Reduction in Body Mass Index

Background and objectives: Difficulty intubating is a cause of mortality in anesthesiology and it can be related to obesity. The diagnosis of difficult intubation contributes for successful airways management. However, parameters that predict difficult airways are not well established. Mallampati classiication, the interincisor gap, neck circumference, thyromental distance, and the presence of obstructive sleep apnea, are pa-rameters that can indicate difficult intubation. Surgical treatment of obesity provides reduction in body mass index (BMI) with stabilization after about 2 years. The objective of the present study was to reevaluate the parameters described above and compare them with pre-surgical values. Methods: The BMI, Mallampati classiication, neck circumference, interincisor gap, thyromental distance, and the degree of obstructive sleep apnea in polysomnography were evaluated in 51 patients of both genders in the preoperative period. Two years after the surgery and reduction of the BMI to < 35 kg.m-2, predictor factors of difficult airways were reevaluated by another anesthesiologist who knew the patients ’ BMI before surgery. Nine patients were excluded. The new reevaluation was performed, and for those who did not have another polysomnography the som