Background and Goal of Study: There is a growing concern about discussing and planning strategies for airway management. To do so it is primordial to improve our capacity to predict difficulty. Obese population frequently presents challenges to both intubation and ventilation. Multiple scores and assessment tools have been described in the literature1-3. The aim of this study was to assess whether MOANS and LEMON scores can predict respectively difficult mask ventilation and intubation in obese patients. 
Materials and methods: After Hospital Ethics Committee approval, a prospective observational study including all obese patients submitted to non-urgent bariatric procedures between June and November 2015 was performed in our institution. Data collected included patients demographics, difficulty of mask ventilation, Cormack and Lehane's laryngoscopy grade, as well as MOANS and LEMON scores. Statistical analysis used Fisher's exact test, with p< 0.05 considered significant. 
Results and discussion: A total of 50 patients were included, 90% (n=45) female, with mean age 46 years old (range 21-81). Mean body mass index was 45 (range 34-57). Mask ventilation was described only in 38 patients, being difficult in 22% (n=11). Laryngoscopy was grade ≥2 in 38% (n=19) of cases. Mean MOANS score was 2±0,7, with 80% ≥2. Mean LEMON score was 2 ±1,5. LEMON score ≥5 correlated with more difficult intubation (grade ≥2) (p=0,0494). A statistical correlation was not found between MOANS score and mask ventilation. Difficult ventilation was not related with the occurrence of difficult intubation. The study presents some limitations, namely the small sample and lack of some registries. 
Conclusion(s): LEMON score was able to predict poor laryngoscopic view, and will be included in our routine evaluation. MOANS did not prove useful in predicting difficult mask ventilation in our sample. Larger samples are needed to test MOANS score utility. 
References: 
1Reed MJ, et al. Can an airway assessment score predict difficulty at intubation in the emergency department? Emerg Med J 2005;22:99-102.
2Walls R, Murphy M. Manual of Emergency Airway Management. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Health, 2012.
3Langeron O, et al. Prediction of Difficult Mask Ventilation. Anesthesiology 2000;92:1229-1236.

MOANS and LEMON scores: are they useful in our routine airway assessment?