Development of a Novel Airway-Exchange Broncholaryngoscope.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project was to develop a novel airway-exchange broncholaryngoscope (AEBLScope) to improve the efficiency and accuracy of airway-exchange procedures. METHODS: The AEBLScope was designed to combine a bronchoscope and airway-exchange catheter (AEC) into a single device and to reduce the blind placement of AECs. The prototype was constructed by modifying an existing distal-chip bronchoscope. A custom AEC was procured to fit concentrically over the flexible portion of the scope. The catheter was connected to the scope handpiece by a customized push-pull locking attachment. The AEBLScope was used to perform airway-exchange procedures with both tracheostomy and endotracheal tubes using two different airway models. Experimental procedures were recorded with still photography to evaluate the exchange of tubes and placement of AECs. RESULTS: In two airway models using the AEBLScope, both tracheostomy and endotracheal tubes were successfully exchanged on first-pass attempt, and AECs were accurately placed under visual guidance. CONCLUSION: The AEBLScope combines a bronchoscope and AEC into a single tool. Based on these first results, this novel scope has the potential to perform airway-exchange procedures more safely compared with standard procedures by increasing the accuracy of placement, decreasing procedural time, and reducing the morbidity and mortality that can occur from blind placement of AECs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A Laryngoscope, 2024.

Better Safe Than Sorry: A Rare Case of a Laryngeal Foreign Body and the Unconventional Use of Cook® Airway.

Foreign body (FB) inhalation in the pediatric population is a common emergency referral in otolaryngology practice. Mismanagement can lead to significant morbidity or even mortality. Anesthesiologists conventionally use the Cook® airway exchange catheter (CAEC) during endotracheal tube exchange in the intensive care unit, but its usage as an oxygen conduit is beneficial in other airway procedures. A healthy two-year-old boy was brought to casualty for allegedly choking on a boneless chicken meat bolus during mealtime. The initial presentation showed that the child was comfortable with soft audible stridor without signs of respiratory distress. Bedside video laryngoscopy revealed a whitish FB in the proximity of the vocal cord. The patient was subjected to emergency direct laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy to retrieve the FB. Under general anesthesia, the true nature of FB was revealed, which was an embedded chicken bone into the laryngeal ventricle, causing a significant reduction of the rima glottis opening. CAEC was used to maintain oxygenation during the complex extraction process, and the child was discharged without any morbidity. Eyewitness history is an essential component in diagnosing FB inhalation in the pediatric population. Despite that, identifying potential difficulty is important to provide backup, especially in the case of unexpected events during managing airway emergencies.

High-flow Tracheal Oxygenation with Airway Exchange Catheter: A Novel Approach.

How to cite this article: Vaithialingam B, Arun BG. High-flow Tracheal Oxygenation with Airway Exchange Catheter: A Novel Approach. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(6):456.

Unexpected Tension Pneumothorax after Double-Lumen Endotracheal Intubation in Patients with Pulmonary Edema: A Case Report.

Tension pneumothorax is a relatively rare complication after anesthetic induction that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Several handling errors related to intubation procedures or equipment and vigorous positive pressure ventilation are potentially important etiologies of tension pneumothorax in patients with underlying lung disease or in mechanically ventilated patients. We describe a case of tension pneumothorax observed after double-lumen tube (DLT) insertion followed by single-lumen tube replacement using an airway exchanger catheter in a mechanically ventilated patient. An 84-year-old female on mechanical ventilation underwent minimally invasive cardiac surgery under general anesthesia. Immediately after left-sided DLT insertion using an airway exchanger catheter, oxygen saturation decreased to 89%, peak airway pressure increased to 35 cm H2O with inadequate tidal volume, and blood pressure gradually dropped to 69/41 mmHg. Breath sounds from the right hemithorax were significantly reduced. Severe collapse of the right lung, a flattened diaphragm, and compressed abdominal organs were identified on chest radiography. Therefore, a tube thoracotomy was performed based on the findings of a tension pneumothorax. Then, oxygen saturation, peak airway pressure with adequate tidal volume, and blood pressure improved, and the distended abdomen normalized. After the pneumothorax resolved, a bronchoscopy was performed. Slight redness was noted in the right bronchus, indicating that the DLT was incorrectly inserted into the right side. In conclusion, the possibility of a tension pneumothorax should be considered during DLT intubation or endotracheal tube replacement with an airway exchange catheter.

Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Further Complicated During Airway Exchange Catheter Placement.

INTRODUCTION: An airway exchange catheter is a hollow-lumen tube able to deliver oxygen and maintain access to a difficult endotracheal airway. This case report demonstrates an undocumented complication associated with an airway exchange catheter and jet ventilation, particularly in a patient with reduced airway diameter due to thick endotracheal secretions. Due to the frequent use of airway exchange catheters in the intensive care unit, this report highlights an adverse event of bilateral pneumothoraces that can be encountered by clinicians. CASE PRESENTATION: This case report describes a 24-year-old female with severe adult respiratory distress syndrome and thick endotra-cheal secretions whose hospital course was complicated by bilateral pneumothoraces resulting from the use of an airway exchange catheter connected to jet ventilation. During the exchange, the catheter occluded the narrowed endotracheal tube to create a one-way valve that led to excessive lung inflation. CONCLUSION: Airway exchange catheters used with jet ventilation in a patient with a narrowed endotracheal tube and reduced lung compliance have the potential risk of causing a pneumothorax. Clinicians should avoid temporary concomitant oxygenation via jet ventilation in patients with these findings and reserve the use of airway exchange catheters for difficult airways.

Extubation of the Challenging or Difficult Airway.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review explores relevant definitions, epidemiology, management, and potential future research directions in the extubation of the challenging/difficult airway. It provides guidance on identifying patients at risk and how to approach these clinical scenarios. RECENT FINDINGS: Based on recent literature, including large-scale audits and closed claims analysis, it is increasingly recognized that extubation of the difficult airway is a situation at risk of severe adverse events. Some strategies to manage the extubation of the challenging/difficult airway have been described. SUMMARY: Extubating the challenging/difficult airway is a high-risk situation. However, it is fundamental to keep in mind that intended extubation is always an elective procedure. As such, it is imperative to adhere to principles of careful patient and context assessment, planning, and execution only when optimal conditions have been secured.

Non-invasive ventilation and airway exchange catheter using a novel adapter in a difficult airway patient with post-extubation respiratory failure.

Post-extubation respiratory failure in patients with difficult airway is considered a challenge for the health team. Some intratracheal devices such as airway exchange catheters (AECs) could be used during scheduled tube removing to ensure a rapid access to airway in the case of requiring emergent reintubation. Nevertheless, using such devices could impede adequate non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) support because of the air leaks generated by interfering with mask interfaces. We describe the case of a woman with a very difficult airway in whom an AEC was placed before scheduled extubation and then developed post-extubation respiratory failure. Mask interface was adequately sealed by using a novel tube adapter for NIMV and successful non-invasive ventilation was provided while maintaining the AEC placed in the trachea until the emergency reintubation risk was overcome.

Dislocation rates of postoperative airway exchange catheters - a prospective case series of 200 patients.

BACKGROUND: The dislocation rate of oral versus nasal airway exchange catheters (AEC) in the postoperative care unit (PACU) are unknown. Our aim was to establish dislocation rates and to assess the usefulness of waveform capnography to detect dislocation. METHODS: In this non-randomized, prospective observational trial at the University Hospital Bern, Switzerland, we included 200 patients admitted to PACU after extubation via AEC, having provided written informed consent. The study was approved by the local ethical committee. AEC position was assessed by nasal fiberoptic endoscopy at beginning of PACU stay and before removal of the AEC. Capnography was continuously recorded via the AEC. Additional measurements included retching and coughing of the patient, and re-intubation, if necessary. RESULTS: Data from 182 patients could be evaluated regarding dislocation. Overall dislocation rate was not different between oral and nasal catheters (7.2% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.16). Retching was more often noted in oral catheters (26% vs. 8%, p < 0.01). Waveform capnography was unreliable in predicting dislocation (negative predictive value 17%). Re-intubation was successful in all five of the nine re-intubations where an AEC was still in situ. In four patients, the AEC was already removed when re-intubation became necessary, and re-intubation failed once, with a front of neck access as a rescue maneuver. CONCLUSIONS: We found no difference in dislocation rate between nasal and oral position of an airway exchange catheter. However, nasal catheters seemed to be tolerated better. In the future, catheters like the staged extubation catheter may further increase tolerance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in a clinical study registry ( ISRCTN 96726807 ) on 10/06/2010.

A devised strategy for tracheal extubation for predicted difficult airway in a child with unilateral vocal cord paralysis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Extubation is a more challenging medical practice than intubation, and countermeasures against it are similar to those described in the Difficult Intubation Guidelines, but problems cannot be overcome by completely the same methods. We predicted difficult extubation in a pediatric patient with left recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis and devised an extubation method. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 2-year-and-8-month-old boy scheduled for cleft palate repair. Concomitant cardiac anomaly and first and second branchial arch syndrome-associated facial malformations, such as mandibular micrognathia and auricular malformation, were observed. He had a past medical history of difficult intubation and respiratory arrest on a catheter test under intravenous sedation at 4 months old. Left recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis was discovered on preoperative examination of the cleft palate, based on which difficulty in postoperative extubation was predicted. A catheter for tracheal tube exchange proposed by the extubation guidelines of the Difficult Airway Society (DAS) was placed, endoscopic examination was performed while inducing spontaneous breathing and swallowing reflex by an otolaryngologist, and the tube was removed while movement of the tissue around the glottis was visually evaluated. The patient was managed in an ICU after extubation, and both the systemic and respiratory conditions were favorable. CONCLUSIONS: Extubation and airway management could be safely performed by devising extubation while conforming to the DAS guidelines.

All India Difficult Airway Association 2016 guidelines for the management of anticipated difficult extubation.

Extubation has an important role in optimal patient recovery in the perioperative period. The All India Difficult Airway Association (AIDAA) reiterates that extubation is as important as intubation and requires proper planning. AIDAA has formulated an algorithm based on the current evidence, member survey and expert opinion to incorporate all patients of difficult extubation for a successful extubation. The algorithm is not designed for a routine extubation in a normal airway without any associated comorbidity. Extubation remains an elective procedure, and hence, patient assessment including concerns related to airway needs to be done and an extubation strategy must be planned before extubation. Extubation planning would broadly be dependent on preventing reflex responses (haemodynamic and cardiovascular), presence of difficult airway at initial airway management, delayed recovery after the surgical intervention or airway difficulty due to pre-existing diseases. At times, maintaining a patent airway may become difficult either due to direct handling during initial airway management or due to surgical intervention. This also mandates a careful planning before extubation to avoid extubation failure. Certain long-standing diseases such as goitre or presence of obesity and obstructive sleep apnoea may have increased chances of airway collapse. These patients require planned extubation strategies for extubation. This would avoid airway collapse leading to airway obstruction and its sequelae. AIDAA suggests that the extubation plan would be based on assessment of the airway. Patients requiring suppression of haemodynamic responses would require awake extubation with pharmacological attenuation or extubation under deep anaesthesia using supraglottic devices as bridge. Patients with difficult airway (before surgery or after surgical intervention) or delayed recovery or difficulty due to pre-existing diseases would require step-wise approach. Oxygen supplementation should continue throughout the extubation procedure. A systematic approach as briefed in the algorithm needs to be complemented with good clinical judgement for an uneventful extubation.

Alternative technique for changing from nasal to oral endotracheal tube for orthognathic and nasal surgery by using an airway exchange catheter: a case report.

A 28-year-old male patient with right maxillar, zygomatic arch, orbital wall, and nasal bone fractures had an orthognathic and nasal surgery. Naso-endotracheal intubation is the first choice during surgical correction of dentofacial deformities in an orthognathic surgery; however, its presence can interfere with concomitant surgical procedures on the nose. Traditionally, the naso-endotracheal tube will be removed and replaced with an oro-endotracheal tube. We changed the endotracheal tube from nasal to oral by using an airway exchange catheter.

The clinical application of homemade airway exchange catheter on extubation of patients with difficult tracheal intubation in intensive care unit / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Objective To discuss the clinical application of homemade airway exchange catheter on the extubation of patients with difficult tracheal intubation in intensive care unit(ICU). Methods Sixty-two patients with difficult tracheal intubation who failed their initial extubation trial were randomly divided into conventional group (31 cases)and observation group(31 cases). The patients in the conventional group received routine extubation process,while the patients in the observation group were extubated under the guidance over a homemade airway exchange catheter. The changes in heart rate(HR),blood pressure,respiratory rate(RR)and pulse blood oxygen saturation(SpO2)were compared at 12 hours after extubation,so as the re-intubation rate,intubation success rate at first attempt and re-intubation time in two groups,and the tolerance and complications after extubation were observed. Results After extubation,the HR,blood pressure and RR were increased significantly(all P<0.05), and the SpO2 was much lower in conventional group(P<0.05),while those parameters were changed little and basically in the normal ranges in the observation group. At 12 hours after extubation,the re-intubation rate was much lower(6.45%vs. 25.81%,P<0.05)in the observation group,with shorter re-intubation time(seconds:27±14 vs. 49±28,P<0.01),higher intubation success rate at first attempt(90.32%vs. 54.84%,P<0.01)and better tolerance (77.4% vs. 61.3%,P<0.05)compared with those in the conventional group. There was no severe complication in the observation group,and there were 1 cases of glottic edema with cricothyroid membrane puncture,2 cases of broncheal mucous membrane bleeding and 2 cases of bucking in the conventional group. Conclusion Compared with conventional extubation process,the extubation over homemade airway exchange catheter can increase the rate of extubation,reduce re-intubation rate and the re-intubation time,with favorable tolerance and no occurrence of serious complications,and is one of the safe and effective extubation strategies in patients with difficult tracheal intubation in ICU.

Alternative technique for changing from nasal to oral endotracheal tube for orthognathic and nasal surgery by using an airway exchange catheter: a case report / 대한마취과학회지

A 28-year-old male patient with right maxillar, zygomatic arch, orbital wall, and nasal bone fractures had an orthognathic and nasal surgery. Naso-endotracheal intubation is the first choice during surgical correction of dentofacial deformities in an orthognathic surgery; however, its presence can interfere with concomitant surgical procedures on the nose. Traditionally, the naso-endotracheal tube will be removed and replaced with an oro-endotracheal tube. We changed the endotracheal tube from nasal to oral by using an airway exchange catheter.

Usefulness of a Cook® airway exchange catheter in laryngeal mask airway-guided fiberoptic intubation in a neonate with Pierre Robin syndrome -A case report-.

The case of a 33-day-old boy with Pierre Robin syndrome using a Cook® airway exchange catheter in laryngeal mask airway-guided fiberoptic intubation is presented. After induction with sevoflurane, classical reusable laryngeal mask airway (LMA) #1 was inserted and ultrathin fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB) was passed through. A Cook® airway exchange catheter (1.6 mm ID, 2.7 mm OD) was passed through the LMA under the guidance of the FOB but failed to enter the trachea despite many trials. Then, an endotracheal tube (3.0 mm ID) was mounted on the FOB and railroaded over the FOB. After successful intubation, the Cook® airway exchange catheter was placed in the midtrachea through the lumen of the endotracheal tube. Even though the tracheal tube was accidentally displaced out of the trachea during LMA removal, the endotracheal tube could be easily railroaded over the airway exchange catheter.

Usefulness of a Cook(R) airway exchange catheter in laryngeal mask airway-guided fiberoptic intubation in a neonate with Pierre Robin syndrome: A case report / 대한마취과학회지

The case of a 33-day-old boy with Pierre Robin syndrome using a Cook(R) airway exchange catheter in laryngeal mask airway-guided fiberoptic intubation is presented. After induction with sevoflurane, classical reusable laryngeal mask airway (LMA) #1 was inserted and ultrathin fiberoptic bronchoscope (FOB) was passed through. A Cook(R) airway exchange catheter (1.6 mm ID, 2.7 mm OD) was passed through the LMA under the guidance of the FOB but failed to enter the trachea despite many trials. Then, an endotracheal tube (3.0 mm ID) was mounted on the FOB and railroaded over the FOB. After successful intubation, the Cook(R) airway exchange catheter was placed in the midtrachea through the lumen of the endotracheal tube. Even though the tracheal tube was accidentally displaced out of the trachea during LMA removal, the endotracheal tube could be easily railroaded over the airway exchange catheter.