Study on airway assessment practices for elective procedures during pre-anesthetic evaluation in COVID-19 pandemic- A national online survey (SAFE PAC Survey).

Background and Aims: A pilot study among anesthesiologists, revealed a wide variation among individual practices including skipping pre-anesthetic airway assessment during COVID-19 pandemic because of the fear of getting infected. Risk of infection during pre-anesthetic airway assessment has not been studied. The primary objective of the survey was to evaluate the practices of airway examination by anesthesiologists during this pandemic period. Secondary objectives were to study the effects of institutional factors and other individual practices on risk modification and the incidence of COVID-19 infection among anesthesiologists.

Material and Methods: A survey was conducted using a pre-validated questionnaire comprising of 35 questions. The questionnaire was circulated among 4676 members of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA) through Google Forms by email.

Results: Of the 4676 members contacted via email, 470 were returned undelivered. From the remaining 4206 questionnaire recipients, 456 completed responses were obtained giving a response rate of 10.8%. Percentage, mean and standard deviation were calculated using EZR software. The conduct of pre-anesthetic airway assessment has decreased by 31.7% during the pandemic, leading to 5.2% of participants encountering unanticipated difficult airway. Among the respondents, eight percent were infected.

Conclusion: Avoidance of preoperative airway assessment by anesthesiologists during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to rising unanticipated difficult airway undermining the patient safety. Adherence to recommended practices ensures safety from risk of COVID-19 infection.