• T J W Dawes and P N R Ford.
• Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK. timdawes@yahoo.co.uk
• Anaesthesia. 2011 Dec 1;66(12):1134-9.

AbstractWe investigated the deterioration in plasticity of the multi-use Portex Tracheal Guide ('bougie') with repeated sterilisation. Six bougies were prepared by washing them between 0 and 100 times (in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines). Two tests were employed: a bench test in which rapid serial photographs were taken of the bougies uncoiling from a preformed curve; and a manikin-based test in which the six bougies were used in a simulated difficult airway. The bench test demonstrated a progressive deterioration in plasticity with repeated washing. However, the manikin-based test showed no significant difference between bougies in the incidence of oesophageal placement (p = 0.74). Time to placement differed significantly only between the two most-washed bougies but was broadly similar. We suggest therefore that the manufacturer's limit of five washings may be unnecessarily cautious.© 2011 The Authors. Anaesthesia © 2011 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

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