Application of the upper lip catch test for airway evaluation in edentulous patients: An observational study

• Main Authors: Zahid Hussain Khan, Shahriar Arbabi, Mir Saeed Yekaninejad, Ramooz Hussain Khan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2014-01-01
• Series: Saudi Journal of Anaesthesia
• Subjects: Airway; Cormack-Lehane grade; difficult intubation; modified Mallampati test; upper lip catch test
• Online Access: http://www.saudija.org/article.asp?issn=1658-354X;year=2014;volume=8;issue=1;spage=73;epage=77;aulast=Khan
• ISSN: 1658-354X

Background: Application of upper lip catch test (ULCT) for airway evaluation in edentulous patients. Methods: This research is an evaluation of a clinical diagnostic test in edentulous patients prior to operation. Five hundred eighty eight edentulous patients in a referral university hospital, between March 2008 and June 2011 scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled. Those unable to open the mouth and those with pharyngo-laryngeal pathology were excluded. ULCT was assessed and compared with Cormack-Lehane grading as a gold standard for airway evaluation. Results: A high negative predictive value of 99.4% was a notable finding for the ULCT. The results also showed a high specificity (89.4%), high sensitivity (75.0%) and a high accuracy (89.3%) in a comparatively higher range for the ULCT. Conclusion: The ULCT proved to be a useful predictor for airway assessment in edentulous patients in this setting. Further studies are needed to reconfirm its validity in other ethnic groups.