Anaes Vivas · Airway management
Data viva — Mallampati class versus Cormack-Lehane grade
A data viva on the paired tables of the Mallampati classification (the bedside oropharyngeal view) and the Cormack-Lehane grade (the laryngoscopic view the bedside tests try to predict). Covers the definitions of each class and grade, the anatomical basis of their correlation, the boundary that defines the difficult intubation, and the limitation that the correlation is loose because the two assessments are obtained under different conditions.
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A two-column table pairing the two classifications the candidate is expected to know together. The left column shows the four Mallampati oropharyngeal classes (I to IV) as labelled diagrams of the view obtained with the patient seated, the mouth open, and the tongue protruded without phonation. The right column shows the four Cormack-Lehane laryngoscopic grades (I to IV) as labelled diagrams of the view obtained at direct laryngoscopy in the anaesthetised, paralysed patient. A dotted arrow links Mallampati class III to IV to Cormack-Lehane grade III to IV.[5]
References6ShowHide
- [1]Black KM, et al. Anesthesia Care, Complications, and Airway Management for Patients With Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Anesth Analg, 2026.PMID 42363899
- [2]Ghaffar S, et al. Physiological difficult airway management in the emergency department. JPMA, 2026.PMID 42363338
- [3]Ipsen EO, et al. Remifentanil Versus Rocuronium for Optimising Video Laryngoscopy Assisted Tracheal Intubation. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand, 2026.PMID 42304626
- [5]Mallampati SR, Gatt SP, Gugino LD, et al. A clinical sign to predict difficult tracheal intubation: a prospective study. Can Anaesth Soc J, 1985.PMID 4027773
- [6]Cormack RS, Lehane J Difficult tracheal intubation in obstetrics. Anaesthesia, 1984.PMID 6507827
- [4]Bersten AD, Soni N (eds) Oh's Intensive Care Manual. 8th edition, Elsevier, 2018.