Annals of emergency medicine
-
Case Reports
Endotracheal tube introducer for failed intubations: a variant of the gum elastic bougie.
There is no universally accepted nonsurgical adjunct for management of the difficult airway in the emergency department. The gum elastic bougie is widely accepted in the British anesthesia literature. One model of endotracheal tube introducer, the Flex-Guide ET Tube Introducer (GreenField Medical Sourcing, Inc, Northborough, MA), is a less expensive plastic version of the gum elastic bougie with the same properties, available in the United States. ⋯ The bougie facilitates intubation where the cords are not visualized or neck movement is contraindicated, allows verification of correct placement before placing the endotracheal tube, is simple to use, and inexpensive to obtain. Reports of 100% first-attempt intubation success in difficult airways are published in the anesthesia literature. We advocate use of this device in the emergency department as a nonsurgical adjunct for difficult airway management.
-
Editorial Comment
The gravest words: sudden-death notifications and emergency care.