Airway management in patients suffering from morbid obesity

Obesity is no longer a disease of the affluent. The prevalence of obesity has risen at an exponential rate globally, with an increasing burden on healthcare resources. Perioperative management of patients with morbid obesity is known to be challenging, and this is particularly so in the management of their airway, a crucial procedure that requires meticulous planning and modifications. Anesthesiologists will expect to see more patients with obesity in their practice presenting for both bariatric and non-bariatric surgery, or even for emergency surgery. Hence, any generalist anesthesiologist should be confident in managing such a patient, with the appreciation that these patients often pose a significant challenge to the practice of anesthesia. This article describes different techniques and looks at the evidence for airway management in the morbidly obese. Other aspects of perioperative management of such patients are beyond the scope of this article.