Anesthesia Technologist Practice Exam

What is the scale used to assess a patient's airway called?

1. Billroth scale

2. ASA classification

3. Malampati scale

4. Brochoscopy index

The correct answer is: Malampati scale

The scale used to assess a patient's airway is the Malampati scale. This scale is critical in evaluating the potential difficulty of intubation by categorizing the visibility of the oropharyngeal structures when the patient opens their mouth. The Malampati scale ranges from class I to IV, with class I indicating that the tonsils, uvula, and soft palate are fully visible, suggesting a potentially easier intubation, and class IV indicating that only the hard palate is visible, which may suggest a more difficult intubation. The ASA classification, while important for assessing the overall physical status of the patient prior to anesthesia, does not specifically evaluate airway anatomy or the ease of intubation. Similarly, the Billroth scale focuses on surgical approaches to the gastrointestinal tract and is not relevant to airway assessment. Although the Bronchoscopy index is utilized to evaluate airways as visualized through bronchoscopy, it is not a standard tool for pre-anesthetic airway evaluation in the same context as the Malampati scale. The Malampati scale is widely recognized and utilized in clinical practice, highlighting its significance in the assessment of a patient’s airway.