To evaluate the effectiveness of Simplified Airway Risk Index (SARI) score in predicting difficult airway in Chinese patients.

One thousand and three hundred patients of both sexes, aged 18-90 yr, with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ-Ⅲ, undergoing tracheal intubation with the laryngoscope under general anaesthesia, were enrolled in this study.SARI scores (including 7 evaluation items: mouth opening, thyromental distance, Mallampati classification, neck mobility, mandibular protrusion, body weight, and history of difficulty in tracheal intubation) were determined before anesthesia induction.The receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of SARI scores in predicting difficult tracheal intubation and difficult laryngoscopy.

The AUC and 95% confidence interval of the SARI score, mouth opening, modified Mallampati classification and thyromental distance in predicting difficult tracheal intubation were 0.91 (0.89-0.93), 0.84 (0.82-0.86), 0.81 (0.79-0.83) and 0.83 (0.80-0.85), respectively.The AUC and 95% confidence interval of the SARI score, mouth opening, modified Mallampati classification and thyromental distance in predicting difficult laryngoscopy were 0.90 (0.88-0.91), 0.79 (0.76-0.81), 0.76 (0.74-0.78) and 0.73 (0.70-0.75), respectively.The AUC of SARI scores in predicting difficult tracheal intubation and difficult laryngoscopy was significantly larger than that of the mouth opening, modified Mallampati classification and thyromental distance (P<0.05).

The SARI score produces better efficacy in predicting tracheal intubation and difficult laryngoscopy in Chinese patients.

Anesthesia, general; Intubation, intratracheal; SARI score