Chhabada S, Skinner C, Kopac O, Castro P, Mascha EJ, Wang D, Gama de Abreu M, Turan A, Sessler DI, Ruetzler K. Association Between Age- and Sex-Specific Body Mass Index Percentile and Multiple Intubation Attempts: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.
Anesth Analg 2024;
138:821-828. [PMID:
36920865 DOI:
10.1213/ane.0000000000006400]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] [Imported: 06/06/2025]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Obesity distorts airways and slightly complicates intubations in adults, but whether obesity complicates pediatric intubations remains unclear. We, therefore, tested the primary hypothesis that increasing age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) percentile is associated with difficult intubation, defined as >1 intubation attempt.
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective analysis of pediatric patients between 2 and 18 years of age who had noncardiac surgery with oral endotracheal intubation. We assessed the association between BMI percentile and difficult intubation, defined as >1 intubation attempt, using a confounder-adjusted multivariable logistic regression model. Secondarily, we assessed whether the main association depended on preoperative substantial airway abnormality status or age group.
RESULTS
A total of 9339 patients were included in the analysis. Median [quartiles] age- and sex-specific BMI percentile was 70 [33, 93], and 492 (5.3%) patients had difficult intubation. There was no apparent association between age- and sex-specific BMI percentile and difficult intubation. The estimated odds ratio (OR) for having difficult intubation for a 10-unit increase in BMI percentile was 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95-1.005) and was consistent across the 3 age groups of early childhood, middle childhood, and early adolescence (interaction P = .53). Patients with preoperative substantial airway abnormalities had lower odds of difficult intubation per 10-unit increase in BMI percentile, with OR (95% CI) of 0.83 (0.70-0.98), P = .01.
CONCLUSIONS
Age- and sex-specific BMI percentile was not associated with difficult intubation in children between 2 and 18 years of age. As in adults, obesity in children does not much complicate intubation.
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