What are your thoughts about airway evaluation of the edentulous patient? Absent trauma or radiation or previous radical neck surgery or severe arthritis, is there any reason to "grade" the airway of an edentulous patient?
Can you cite examples of cases you have had, where the patient was edentulous and the airway was difficult?
Bucky
I remember being told as a resident by a very senior mentor that I wouldnever have difficulty intubating an edentulous patient. I didn't believe him at the time, but in the years since, I must admit it has been true.
In fact I have often thought that if I ever get into a situation of "Can't ventilate, can't intubate" in someone with teeth, I would use the blunt, heavy end of the laryngoscope to knock the teeth out in order to save their lives. I think I would do this before slashingtheir necks open. Deparate times call for desparate measures.