Seshagiri Mallampati

Seshagiri Rao Mallampati
Born1941
Andhra Pradesh, British India
NationalityIndian, American
EducationAndhra Medical College
OccupationAnesthesiologist
Known forMallampati score
TitleDoctor

Seshagiri Rao Mallampati (Telugu: మల్లంపాటి శేషగిరిరావు, ISO: Mallampāṭi Śēṣagirirāvu, Telugu: [malːampaːʈi çeːʂagiɾiɾaːʋu]) is an Indian anesthesiologist. He is best known for proposing the eponymous Mallampati score in 1985, a non-invasive method to assess the ease of endotracheal intubation.[1][2]

Biography

Mallampati was born in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India in 1941. In 1968, he studied medicine at Andhra Medical College, the oldest such college in the state. In 1971, he emigrated to the United States and began his training in anesthesiology at the Lahey Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts.[2]

In 1983, Mallampati published a letter describing a difficult intubation in a female patient whose mouth could open widely but whose tongue obstructed view of the faucial pillars and uvula.[2] He hypothesised that the size of the tongue was a significant factor in predicting difficult laryngoscope usage since a large tongue would likely occlude the oropharynx.[3] In 1985, alongside his colleagues, he published a paper in the Journal of the Canadian Anesthesia Society that involved 210 patients and studied the correlation between decreased visualisation of the soft palate, faucial pillars and uvula, and its association with the difficulty of intubation. The study showed an inverse correlation and Mallampati proposed an eponymous classification to determine the ease of intubation.[4][5][2]

He later worked at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital for the remainder of his career. In 2017, he retired from medical practice.[2]

Notable publications

  • Mallampati, SR (1983). "Clinical sign to predict difficult tracheal intubation (hypothesis)". Can Anaesth Soc J. 30: 316–7. doi:10.1007/bf03013818. PMID 6336553.
  • Mallampati, SR; Gatt, SP; Gugino, LD; et al. (July 1985). "A clinical sign to predict difficult tracheal intubation: a prospective study". Can Anaesth Soc J. 32: 429–34. doi:10.1007/bf03011357. PMID 4027773.

References

  1. ^ Mohan, Vijay (January 2018). "Visual Assessment Considerations Prior to the Mallampati Score: A Brief History". Journal of Anesthesia History. 4 (1): 98. doi:10.1016/j.janh.2017.11.082.
  2. ^ a b c d e Moseley, Chris. "Seshagiri Rao Mallampati • LITFL • Medical Eponym Library". Life in the Fast Lane • LITFL • Medical Blog. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  3. ^ Common problems in acute care surgery. Springer. 2013-03-12. p. 172. ISBN 9781461461234.
  4. ^ Eger, Edmond; Saidman, Lawrence; Westhorpe, Rod, eds. (2013). The wondrous story of anesthesia. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 741. ISBN 9781461484417.
  5. ^ Todd, David; Bosack, Robert (2018). Anesthesia, An Issue of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 208. ISBN 9780323583718.