The 'Priming principle' applied to non-depolarizing muscle relaxant atracurium was studied in 60 patients. This was a double blind study. The conditions observed for intubation were graded and the efficacy of priming dose of atracurium for shortening the onset time of intubation was studied. The patients were of ASA classification I and II and received standard premedication. The purpose of the...

PURPOSE To evaluate the prevalence of bacteremia after mask ventilation, laryngoscopy, and endotracheal intubation before induction of general anesthesia and to discover any correlation between traumatic manipulations and bacteremia. The specific bacteria responsible, knowledge of which may guide the prophylactic use of antibiotics, also were investigated. METHODS Fifty patients were enrolled...

Although bedside ultrasonography can accurately distinguish esophageal from tracheal intubation, it is not used to establish the correct depth of endotracheal tube insertion. As indirect sonographic markers of endotracheal tube insertion depth have proven unreliable, a method for visual verification of correct tube depth would be ideal. We describe the use of saline to inflate the endotracheal ...

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that predicting difficult tracheal intubation is useless because of the poor predictive capacity of individual signs and scores. The authors tested the hypothesis that an accurate prediction of difficult tracheal intubation using simple clinical signs is possible using a computer-assist model. METHODS In a cohort of 1,655 patients, the authors analyzed the pre...

The movement of an endotracheal tube relative to the carina has been studied with the head in different positions. The dangers of malposition and displacement are stressed. Some precautions necessary to avoid these hazards are given.

In the United Kingdom, it is current practice for paramedics to perform tracheal intubation on trauma patients when the airway is compromised and basic airway manoeuvres have failed. Paramedics in Britain never use anaesthetic drugs or muscle relaxants to achieve intubation. Anecdotal experience shows that patients who can be intubated without the use of drugs have a poor prognosis. We investig...

The authors describe the special tracheal intubation technique used in two patients with a difficult airway. These are the translaryngeal retrograde wire-guided and fiberoptic intubation. The authors show how to use both to facilitate intubation. The authors modified the technique by passing a guide-wire in a retrograde manner from the trachea to the nose and then a fiberoptic laryngoscope with...

A cross-filed endotracheal intubation is usually applied to maintain single lung ventilation during both open and thoracoscopic tracheal resection and reconstruction. Herein, we report a case of thoracoscopic tracheal resection and reconstruction with interrupted ventilation via transoral endotracheal intubation in a patient with thoracic tracheal adenocarcinoma. Tracheal anastomosis was accomp...

Tracheal intubation using Macintosh blade is the technique of choice for the liberation of airways. It can turn out to be difficult, causing severe complications which can entail the prognosis for survival or the adjournment of the surgical operation. The video-laryngoscope allows a better display of the larynx and a good exposure of the glottis and then making tracheal intubation simpler compa...