What is an Endotracheal Tube?
Background:
What are endotracheal tubes and why are they needed? When a patient requires a secure airway, the anesthetist or other highly trained health care provider will place a devices known as Endotracheal tubes aka ET-Tube in the patient’s trachea. The anesthetist will pass the endotracheal tube through the mouth and into the trachea during a procedure known as intubation. Intubation allows positive pressure ventilation and an airway secure from aspiration.
For the anesthetist to place the ET- tube during intubation, The provider will use one of several available devices to place the endotracheal tube.
Instruments to perform Endotracheal Intubation:
- Laryngoscope
- GlideScope
- C-Mac
- Fiber Optic EndoScope
Parts of the Endotracheal tube
Endotracheal Tube stylet Endotracheal Tube Pilot Balloon Endotracheal Tube Cuff Endotracheal Tube
ET Tube FAQ:
- Made of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
- Tubes are Single use
- Tube cuffs are low pressure to avoid injury to the trachea.
- There is a Radio Opaque line on ET Tubes so they can be seen on X-ray.
Here are a few types of Endotracheal Tubes:
- Nasal RAE tube
- Double Lumen Tube
- Oral Rae
- Pediatric tube
- Adult Tube