Extubation aid in double lumen tube exchange in difficult airway cases operated for thoracic surgeries

• DOI: 10.4103/0970-9185.105823
• Publication Date: 2013-01-09T19:47:29Z
• Authors: Manpreet Singh; Dheeraj Kapoor; Jasveer Singh
• Keywords: Cardiothoracic surgery; Fiberscope

Sir, Double lumen tube (DLT) is used in thoracic surgical procedures. A majority of these surgeries mandate postoperative elective ventilation. It a common practice that DLT exchanged with conventional endotracheal (ETT) before transferring the patient out operating room.[1–3] The exchange tracheal requires fiberscope, which not available many operation theaters developing countries. In case airway difficult, removed and ETT placed trachea. However, if has difficult airway, extubation should be guarded ventilating exchanger used. Commercially exchangers are usually 70 cm long thus may serve purpose. Gum elastic bougies hollow also enough to replace DLT. Some extra-long(Cook's exchanger,100 length) commercially but they expensive their availability limited. We have successfully used, 26 cases, novel indigenous i.e., 260 length, 0.9 mm Bentson guidewire (Cook®, Medical Inc, Bloomington, IN, USA) sheath. This sheath appropriate length for above purposes can utilized any sized latex-free, safe, flexible, easily available. These extra-long sheaths cover guidewires percutaneous nephrolithotomy surgery by urologists. adult sizes (37 F, 39 F) 45 them, 90 required. situations, always better. On its proximal end this sheath, 4.0 ID connector mounted [Figure 1], oxygenation or ventilation during tubes.Figure 1: No. 4.00