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Short thyromental distance (measured from the mentum to the laryngeal notch, with short defined as <5 cm in adults) is associated with difficult intubation because of poor laryngoscopic view of the vocal cords. Investigators in India assessed whether using a shorter laryngoscope blade improves intubation success.
In the first part of the study, 11 adult patients with thyromental distance ≤5 cm and no other difficult airway attributes underwent direct laryngoscopy with each of a Macintosh size 2 (MAC2) and size 3 (MAC3) blade, in random order, after induction of general anesthesia. The investigators found that the laryngoscopic view was significantly better with the MAC2 blade.
In the second part of the study, they randomized 83 elective gener…