Comparison of Scope Classifications for Predicting the Need for Airway Intervention in Acute Supraglottitis

Abstract

Background: Acute supraglottitis (AS) can cause airway obstruction, sometimes necessitating airway intervention. Some scope classifications were developed to predict the need for airway intervention in patients with AS, however, the most suitable classification for predicting the need for airway intervention remains unclear.

Objective: This study was performed to validate and compare the usefulness of three scope classifications (Katori’s, Tanaka’s, and Ovnat-Tamir’s classifications) for predicting the need for airway intervention in patients with AS.

Material and methods: We recruited 75 patients (44 males and 31 females aged 20–94 years) with AS who visited Kurashiki Central Hospital between January 2015 and September 2019. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) of the scope classifications for predicting the need for airway intervention were measured.

Results: Of the 75 patients, airway intervention was needed in 23 patients. The AUC was 0.818 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.715–0.922) for Katori’s classification, 0.803 (95% CI 0.699–0.907) for Tanaka’s classification, and 0.814 (95% CI 0.705–0.922) for Ovnat-Tamir’s classification.

Conclusions: Although all three classifications appeared to be useful, the AUC tended to be the highest for Katori’s classification.