A simple T-piece.

THE value of the T-piece principle in reducing the resistance an anaesthetic apparatus offers to respiration is well established. Unfortunately the commonly used Ayre's (1937) T-piece cannot be connected directly to the endotracheal tube. The angled connectors and pieces of rubber tubing which must be interposed markedly increase the resistance of the apparatus to respiration. To overcome this drawback a T-piece was designed, for use in adult patients, of a pattern which would make connections unnecessary. To this end the endotracheal tube was mounted directly on a side arm let into a wide-bore piece of metal tubing. As this T-piece was designed originally for neurosurgical work it was also necessary to provide for endotracheal suction and for a quick method of converting the open system into a semi-closed one should respiration become depressed and the patient require manual inflation of the lungs.