Introduction:

Correct airway management of polytraumatized patients is crucial because of the necessity of securing the airway and providing adequate ventilation without worsening a probable spinal cord injury.

Objective:

Determine the effect of manual inline stabilization (MILS) on Cormack-Lehane classification and if there is any correlation with body mass index (BMI).

Material and methods:

In a descriptive study at the Centro Hospitalario del Estado Mayor Presidencial in Mexico City, we included 56 patients with ASA physical status I to IV. The anesthesiologist performed direct laryngoscopy while MILS was performed and observed the CL grade. Immediately after, the patient was repositioned into the sniffing position, direct laryngoscopy was performed, and the CL grade was observed again.

Results:

The CL grades observed were significantly different between MILS vs. Sniffing position. CL grades were mainly high when positioned in MILS (75% classified as grades III and IV) and diminished significantly when changed to the sniffing position.

Conclusion:

Improvement of CL grade was observed when changing from MILS to sniffing position.