Parts of ETT with their functions
- Standardized 15mm connector to fit all airway devices
- Low-allergen PVC construction, free of latex
- Transparent body, to see blood or vomit
- Markings to indicate depth of insertion
- Black line to guide insertion to appropriate depth
- Cuff: High volume low pressure cuff to seal the trachea
- Pilot balloon
- Pilot cuff to gauge cuff pressure
- Murphy's eye to protect against occlusion
- Beveled tip to assist insertion
- Radio-opaque line to help gauge position on chest X-rays
Indications for ETT Intubation
- To overcome an airway obstruction and to protect the airway
- To allow access to the lower airway for suctioning of secretions
- To allow mechanical ventilation in a patient in whom non-invasive ventilation is contraindicated
Contraindications for ETT Intubation
Actually there are few real hard contraindications to intubation.
- Absence of upper airway (eg. radical laryngectomy)
- Laryngeal trauma which would be exacerbated by ETT insertion (eg. fractured larynx)
- Transection of the airway which could be exacerbated by ETT insertion
Complications of ETT Intubation
- Failure of intubation
- Esophageal intubation
- Obstruction of the tube (be it kinked by teeth or clogged with phlegm)
- Dislodgement above the glottis (tube falling out)
- Endobronchial intubation (tube falling in)
- Cuff rupture, pressure loss
- Trauma due to intubation (eg. tracheobronchial injury, even perforation)
- Mucosal ulceration and necrosis from prolonged intubation