Abstract
Introduction: Difficult and failed intubation are the major causes of morbidity and mortality. The complications can be evaluated by different instruments, such as Look-Evaluate-Mallampati-Obstrucion-Neck mobility (LEMON), Intubation Difficulty Scale (IDS), and Wilson scores. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the correlation between LEMON, IDS, and Wilson scores in evaluating intubation difficulty in patients with general anesthesia.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational analytic design was adopted and the data were analyzed using Pearson correlation or the Spearmann test. The data on patients with general anesthesia were obtained at Adam Malik General Hospital from April to July 2023.
Results: In this study, a cohort of 76 patients (65.8% female) was included. The mean age of the population was 43.41±14.59 years. Successful intubation was achieved on the first attempt in 61 patients, representing a success rate of 80.3%. Data analysis between pre and post-intubation found significant differences in systole, diastole, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and HR (P<0.001). However, there were no significant differences in SpO2 (P=0.802) and body temperature (P=0.902). The Spearman test showed that there was a significant correlation between all data with each other (P<0.001). A high correlation also existed between LEMON and IDS (r=0.702), LEMON, and Wilson (r=0.773), as well as IDS and Wilson (r=0.796).
Conclusion: There was a correlation between LEMON, IDS, and Wilson scores in evaluating intubation difficulty in patients with general anesthesia. The use of multiple scoring systems to identify intubation difficulty is more specific and targeted due to several advantages.