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Background: Laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation are critical procedures and if the anthropometric indices of the patient leading to difficult intubation are not considered before the procedure, it can be accompanied by serious complications. One of the most practical concepts suggested about difficult intubation, is Cormack and Lehane criteria used in most medical centers. However, there is not any valuable study demonstrate the effect of anthropometric indices in difficult intubation and the immediate prediction of its complications. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of anthropometric indices and hemodynamic changes after laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out in 2012 in Kashani hospital, Isfahan, Iran. 130 patients with fulfilling inclusion criteria were entered the study. The recorded data included age, weight, height, neck circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index. The difficulty of intubation was assessed when the patient was completely unconscious. The predictive role of obesity indices in difficult intubation and the cardiovascular changes after intubation was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Findings: The best cut-off point for body mass index (BMI) was 26.56; according to this cut-off point, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of BMI were 100, 38.84, 10.8 and 91.1 percent, respectively. The best cut-off point for neck circumference was 38; according to this cut-off point, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of neck circumference were 7.85, 2.28, 2.45, 1.91 percent, respectively. Conclusion: BMI, neck circumference and waist-to-hip ratio are valuable in assessing difficult intubation and their value is mostly due to NPV. Therefore, we can achieve a significant NPV and sensitivity in assessment of difficult intubation by considering all these indices.

Background: Globally, stroke is the second leading cause of death. The aim of the present study was to determine the lipid profile in a group of Iranian patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: This study was performed in Alzahra University Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) in 2007. We included subjects with proved ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Blood samples were drawn within 24 h of admission for measurement of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol. Data were analyzed by Student t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. Finding: Two hundred and fifty one patients were included (129 Men and 122 women). Mean age was 69.97 ± 10.63 years. There were 207 patients with ischemic stroke and 44 cases of hemorrhagic stroke. TG was higher in patients with ischemic stroke than in cases with hemorrhagic stroke (133.91 ± 67.84 mg/dl vs. 112.86 ± 40.92 mg/dl, P < 0.01). Patients with hemorrhagic stroke had higher levels of HDL than ones with ischemic stroke (55.43 ± 77.76 mg/dl vs. 39.78 ± 10.52 mg/dl, P < 0.01). LDL was higher in patients with hemorrhagic stroke than in cases with ischemic stroke (131.36 ± 45.98 mg/dl vs. 116.94 ± 40.02 mg/dl, P < 0.05). Mean TC did not differ significantly in two groups of patients. Conclusion: According to the present study patients with hemorrhagic stroke have higher HDL and LDL levels than ones with ischemic stroke. In contrast, TG is found to be higher in ischemic stroke cases than patients with hemorrhagic stroke.