Patent ID: 7954251

Claim:
A method of evaluation of airway for orotracheal intubation comprising: (a) providing a multifunctional airway evaluator comprising: a first elongated arm having a distal end and an opposing hinge end; a second elongated arm having a distal end and an opposing hinge end connected to said hinge end of said first arm by a pivot connection; said first and second arms movable relative to each other about a pivotal axis of said pivot connection; a planar plate connected to said first arm and extending upwardly from an upper edge of said first arm, between said hinge end and a middle portion of said first arm, said plate including a distance scale on a front face of said planar plate, said distance scale including a plurality of spaced apart grade lines, each thereof aligned radially relative to said pivotal axis, and distance parameters associated with said grade lines, each of said distance parameters indicating a distance between said distal ends of said first and second arms when said arms are in a corresponding relative position; and a gravity-operated angular indicator attached to said planar plate, said gravity-operated angular indicator including an axial pin disposed perpendicular to said planar plate, a rotating disk pivotally attached to and rotatable around said axial pin by gravity, and one or more angular measurement marker affixed adjacent said rotating disk; (b) placing said distal ends of said first and second arms next to a first and a second predetermined locations of the body of a patient, respectively, and recording a measured distance between said first and second predetermined locations from said distance scale; and (c) affixing said planar plate at a third predetermined location of the body of said patient, with a vertical central axis of said rotating disk aligned with a zero-degree reference line of said gravity-operated angular indicator, and then instructing said patient to carry out a flexion movement involving tilting of said third location of the body, and recording an extent of rotation of said rotating disk from said angular measurement marker of said gravity-operated angular indicator.