Preoperative Airway Assessment

Front 1

preoperative assessment hx

Back 1

previous intubations
difficulty wit intubations, dental damage after intubation
extreme sore throat after intubation
unexpected intubation postop

Front 2

may afftect the cervial spine, the temporo-mandibular joint, or the arytenoids carilages

Back 2

hx of RA

Front 3

may cause flexion or extension deformities of the cervical spine

Back 3

ankylosing spondylitis and osteroarthritis

Front 4

obtain hx of what when contemplating a nasal intubation

Back 4

clotting disturbances, polyps, or epistaxis

Front 5

question pt about dental work

Back 5

bridges(temp and permanent), veneers, capped teeth, loose teeth, document location

Front 6

tongue vs pharyngeal size

Back 6

mallampati classification

Front 7

how do you perform mallampati exam

Back 7

pt sit with head in neutral position
open mouth to max
and protrude tongue out as far as possible
do not as pt to say "ah"

Front 8

soft palate, anterior and posterior tonsillar pillars, and uvula visible

Back 8

class I

Front 9

tonsillar pillars and base of uvula are obscured by the base of the tongue

Back 9

class II

Front 10

only soft palate is visible

Back 10

class III

Front 11

soft palate not visible

Back 11

class IV

Front 12

evaluation of cervical spine mobility

Back 12

atlanto-occipital joint extension

Front 13

how do you perform the atlanto-occipital joint extension?

Back 13

pt sits with head held erect facing examiner,
pt extends atlanto-occipital joint as much as possible

Front 14

normal degrees of atlanto-occipital joint extension

Back 14

35 deg

Front 15

allows alignment of oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal axes

Back 15

sniffing position