Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation
Ventilator management should be aimed at getting the patient off ventilator support as rapidly as possible. Weaning can be considered once the underlying process necessitating mechanical ventilation is resolving
Category Airway
Percutaneous Tracheostomy
Tracheostomy is an airway that is inserted subglottically through neck tissues directly into the trachea. Surgical Tracheostomy involves dissection and incision of trachea under direct vision.
Tracheostomy, advantages and disadvantages
Tracheostomy, advantages and disadvantages. Pro: reduced sedation requirement (greater comfort than oro-tracheal intubation). Con: requirement for a surgical procedure with inherent risk of complications
Tracheostomy Insertion Techniques
Approach to percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) procedure
Tracheostomy Literature Summaries
Summary of evidence for PDT versus open tracheostomy. No difference in ICU or hospital mortality; duration of ventilation; nosocomial pneumonia
Percutaneous vs Surgical Tracheostomy
Percutaneous tracheostomy = reference to a number of different techniques to insert a tracheostomy (gradual dilation, forceps dilation, rhino and translaryngeal techniques)
Respiratory distress in Tracheostomy Patient
There are important considerations regarding tracheostomy management that differ from the standard approach to respiratory distress
Bleeding Tracheostomy
Haemorrhage from, or around, a tracheostomy site is both relatively common and potentially life-threatening
Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA)
LMA is an acronym for Laryngeal Mask Airway; a type of extraglottic airway device aka supraglottic airway device (SAD)
Intubating LMA
the intubating LMA (Fastrach™) is a specially designed supraglottic airway device (SAD) that can be used as a conduit to facilitate intubation
ETT Stylet
ETT stylet is a device that allows the endotracheal tube (ETT) to be stiffened and the shape molded as desired.
Direct versus Video Laryngoscopy
the advent of video laryngoscopy has led to some experts stating that it should be considered 'standard of care' (a loaded term) or at least best practice, this had led to vigorous and sometimes heated debate, especially in the emergency medicine community