Use Of Airway Exchange Catheter Research Articles

99 A Fresh Model in the Vehicles for Learning: Redesigning an Established, Traditional Airway Course to be Delivered in a Multi-Site Hybrid Format in the COVID-19 Era

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCOA) stipulates that anaesthetists should be able to use advanced/novel airway management techniques. The RCOA-accredited annual Challenging Airway Course in Northern Ireland is a staple of the calendar, providing an opportunity for all those involved in airway management to gain, refresh and replenish skills. Having already been cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, there was a strong appetite, particularly within the trainee body, that it should be staged in some form this year.The aim of the study was to deliver a high-quality course that outlined the theory behind airway management, without loss of the hands-on aspects of equipment/techniques, to a large candidate group in a COVID-19 safe environment.Alteration of the face-to-face course to run in a hybrid multi-site format with both online components and practical workstations.The course was delivered simultaneously in real time across the multiple deanery teaching hospitals. There was a central hub from which the course lead could synchronize timings/broadcast recorded material. As part of contingency plans for any unanticipated technical difficulties, lectures were pre-recorded and played for candidates on the day. These were punctuated with four practical workstations that mandated two delegates per station. Additionally, some content was recorded for viewing online as pre-course material and new simulation videos of a failed intubation drill and the subsequent debrief were also created. For some unable to attend site locations, a fully virtual experience was also an option. These modifications allowed us to: maximize attendance without breaching social distancing guidelines; retain the hands-on aspect of using equipment/techniques and also maintain an excellent faculty to candidate ratio to allow ample time for practising/asking questions. The pre-course material also empowered the candidates to feel better prepared for the day. Post-course anonymous feedback was completed by the vast majority of delegates and was overwhelmingly positive. Pre-course material, facilities, content, lectures, simulations and workshops were rated highly. The use of airway exchange catheters was mentioned as the introduction of a new skill for many delegates. Apart from one candidate, no one had attended any RCOA-accredited airway events in the preceding year but 100% of the candidates would recommend this course to their peers. Amidst challenging times, we successfully restyled an established and respected course. The novel hybrid multi-site format allowed a larger number of candidates to network face-to-face and gain knowledge/practical skills within a COVID-safe environment. Until such times as ‘normality’ and perhaps beyond, this may be a new formula for learning.

Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Further Complicated During Airway Exchange Catheter Placement.

IntroductionAn 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 PresentationThis 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.ConclusionAirway 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.

Use of the Cook® Staged extubation set for reintubation following complications of major head and neck surgery

SummaryHead and neck surgery frequently presents anaesthetists with challenging airways but reintubation for postoperative complications further increases this level of difficulty. The use of airway exchange catheters (AEC) for “at risk” extubations are recommended by the Difficult Airway Society (DAS) in their 2011 extubation guidelines [1]. This is against the advice of the manufacturer of the Cook® AEC which does not recommend its use beyond immediate exchange of tracheal tubes [2]. The Cook® Staged Extubation Set (SES) is designed specifically for this task but no case reports have been published describing its use for tracheal re‐intubation. We describe two techniques for the use of the SES for emergency re‐intubation following complications after head and neck reconstruction with a free flap.

Macroscopic barotrauma caused by stiff and soft-tipped airway exchange catheters: an in vitro case series.

Many airway management guidelines include the use of airway exchange catheters (AECs). There are reports, however, of harm from their use, from both malpositioning and in particular from the administration of oxygen via an AEC leading to barotrauma. We used an in vitro pig lung model to investigate the safety of administering oxygen at 4 different flow rates from a high-pressure source via 2 different AECs: a standard catheter and a soft-tipped catheter. Experiments were performed with the catheters positioned either above the carina or below it at the first point of resistance to advancement (hold-up). The experiments were then repeated to produce a series of 32 cases. With an AEC positioned above the carina, we did not observe macroscopic lung damage after the administration of oxygen. The administration of oxygen through an AEC positioned below the carina resulted in macroscopic barotrauma regardless of the rate of oxygen delivery. Increasing speed of oxygen flow led to faster and more extensive damage. Use of an "injector" at 2.5 or 4 bar led to instantaneous macroscopic lung damage and advancement of the AEC through the lung tissue. Our observations were the same when both types of AECs were used. Our results are consistent with reports of harm during the use of AECs and demonstrate the risk of administering oxygen through these devices when they are positioned below the carina. An indicator, ideally made on an AEC at the time of manufacture and designed to lie at the same level as the teeth, may be useful in preventing the insertion of that AEC beyond the level of the carina and improve the safety of using such devices.

Airway Exchange Failure and Complications with the Use of the Cook Airway Exchange Catheter®

There are limited data on rates of failure and airway injury with the use of airway exchange catheters. We performed a single-center retrospective analysis of airway exchange catheters to determine the incidence and associated factors for tube exchange failure and airway injury. Among 1177 cases, failed intubation during attempted tube exchange was noted in 73/527 (13.8%). Airway exchange failure rates were greatest during exchange catheter use for double-lumen tube insertion and when intubation was attempted over the catheter postoperatively. Pneumothorax was noted after 1.5% of attempted tube exchanges. Difficult tube exchange was encountered in 6 of 8 patients with pneumothorax.

Pneumothorax, an underappreciated complication with an airway exchange catheter.

While airway exchange catheters (AEC) are designed to safely maintain a secure airway and sometimes allow for ventilation while exchanging an endotracheal tube or performing a trial tracheal extubation, their use is sometimes associated with devastating complications. Pneumothorax is an underappreciated complication with AECs that can occur even in the absence of high pressure ventilation with quick clinical deterioration. The development of a pneumothorax can be difficult to distinguish from other potential causes of clinical deterioration and the clinician should maintain a high level of suspicion for quick diagnosis and treatment. Here we report a case of tension pneumothorax leading to cardiovascular collapse that occurred very suddenly with the introduction of an AEC. This pneumothorax presented in an atypical manner by all monitors available except for blood pressure monitoring. Therefore this case highlights the need for strong clinical suspicion of pneumothorax with the use of AECs.

Extubation guidelines: use of airway exchange catheters

Extubation guidelines: use of airway exchange catheters

Endotracheal tube exchangers: Should we look for safer alternatives?

Endotracheal tube exchange is considered a simple procedure, performed in cases of endotracheal tube malfunction. It usually involves the use of airway exchange catheters (AECs). The procedure, however, can lead to major complications that require prompt intervention for optimal outcomes. We report on a case of endotracheal tube exchange with AECs complicated by pneumothorax, without evidence of tracheal or bronchial injury demonstrable via bronchoscopy. Increasing rates of AEC-related complications highlight the need for alternative methods to exchange malfunctioning endotracheal tubes safely.