Seshagiri Rao Mallampati | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1941 (age 84–85) |
| Education | Andhra Medical College |
| Occupation | Anesthesiologist |
| Known for | Mallampati score |
| Title | Doctor |
Seshagiri Rao Mallampati (Telugu:మల్లంపాటి శేషగిరిరావు,ISO:Mallampāṭi Śēṣagirirāvu,Telugu:[malːampaːʈiçeːʂagiɾiɾaːʋu]) is an Indiananesthesiologist. He is best known for proposing the eponymousMallampati score in 1985, a non-invasive method to assess the ease ofendotracheal intubation.[1][2]
Mallampati was born in the state ofAndhra Pradesh,India in 1941. In 1968, he studied medicine atAndhra Medical College, the oldest such college in the state. In 1971, he emigrated to theUnited States and began his training in anesthesiology at theLahey Clinic inBoston,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 thefaucial pillars anduvula.[2] He hypothesised that the size of the tongue was a significant factor in predicting difficultlaryngoscope usage since a large tongue would likely occlude theoropharynx.[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 theBrigham and Women’s Hospital for the remainder of his career. In 2017, he retired from medical practice.[2]