Problems of endotracheal intubation in obese patient

Endotracheal intubation and obesity

Abstract

Background: Performing intubation in obese patients is a challenging problem both in the intensive care unit (ICU) and patients with a high BMI face various complication.

Methods: A prospective multiplex cohort study in Kirkuk governorate was conducted in obese patients (body mass index greater than 30 kg m2).  The primary endpoint was the occurrence of difficulty intubation.  Secondary endpoints were risk factors for difficult intubation, use of difficult airway management techniques, and serious, life-threatening complications related to intubation (cardiac problems, hypoxaemia, and severe cardiovascular collapse). 

Results: Out of 100 patients, 48 patients had problems and complications as a result of intubation. These complications varied from simple to serious. 7 patients experienced hypoxia, 22 patients experienced difficulty in intubation, 5 patients experienced cardiac arrhythmias, and 2 patients had a dental injury that was. This complication is related to the body mass index.  

Conclusions: In severely obese patients, the incidence of difficult intubation in the intensive care unit was related to BMI. Researchers did not encounter deaths resulting from intubation, perhaps due to the development of medicine and new tools.