Comparison of the Patients with Diabetes Mellitus using Either Insulin or Oral Antidiabetic Drug in Terms of Difficult Laryngoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the differences in the difficult laryngoscopy as a general anesthetic component in patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) using either insulin or oral antidiabetic drug (OADD). Materials and Methods: This study was planned for a total of 230 patients including DM patients and non-DM patients as a control group who would undergo elective surgery between 30.01.2020-30.04.2020. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), Mallampati scores, thyromental distance (TMD), inter-incisor distance (IID), and neck extension measurements were noted. Preoperative HbA1C levels, DM type, diagnosis time, and duration of insulin or OADD use were recorded. Patients without DM (Group C), patients using insulin (Group I), and patients using OADD (Group D) were separated respectively. Cormack-Lehane (CL) classification of the airway, number of laryngoscopic attempts, intubation success at the first attempt, intubation duration, performance of backward-upward-rightward pressure (BURP) maneuver, and requirement of use of different airway equipment were compared between the groups. Results: The data of 192 patients were compared. The mean IID (mm) was lower in Groups I and D than C. It was the lowest in Group I. Presence of neck extension of more than 30 degrees in Groups I and D was lower than C. Classification of CL in Groups I and D was higher than C. Number of laryngoscopic attempts was higher in Groups I and D than C. Intubation success at the first attempt was lower in Groups I and D than C. The intubation duration was longer in Groups I and D than C. It was the longest in Group I. The more BURP maneuvering was required in Groups I and D than C. In Groups I and D, the number of uses of different airway equipment was higher than in Group C. The rate of using a videolaryngoscope (VL) in Group I was higher than in Groups D and C. Conclusion: Difficult laryngoscopy was more common in DM patients. Moreover, in patients with DM using insulin, VL use was more often and intubation duration was longer than in patients with DM using OADD.