title: The epidemiology of upper airway injury in patients undergoing major surgical procedures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Airway injury is a potentially serious and costly adverse event of anesthesia care. The epidemiologic characteristics of airway injury have not been well documented.
  
  
  METHODS
  The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) is a multicenter, prospective, outcome-oriented database for patients undergoing major surgical procedures. Using the NSQIP data for the years 2005 to 2008, we examined the incidence of, and risk factors for, airway injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 563,190 patients studied, 1202 (0.2%) sustained airway injury. The most common airway injury was lip laceration/hematoma (61.4%), followed by tooth injury (26.1%), tongue laceration (5.7%), pharyngeal laceration (4.7%), and laryngeal laceration (2.1%). Multivariable logistic modeling revealed an increased risk of airway injury in patients with Mallampati class III (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.69; 99% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-2.11, relative to patients with Mallampati classes I and II) or class IV (adjusted OR, 2.6; 99% CI, 1.52-4.02), and in patients aged 80 years or older (adjusted OR, 1.50; 99% CI, 1.02-2.19, relative to patients aged 40 to 49 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk of airway injury for patients undergoing major surgical procedures is approximately 1 in 500. Patients with difficult airways as indicated by Mallampati classes III and IV are at significantly increased risk of sustaining airway injury during anesthesia for major surgical procedures.
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA. mh2633@columbia.ed
authors: May
authors: M
authors: Hua
authors: Joanne
authors: J
authors: Brady
authors: Guohua
authors: G
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019992:Databases as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000293:injuries*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000293:injuries*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult