Articles: intubation.
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Following the administration of a single 0.1 mg/kg dose of vecuronium bromide, satisfactory conditions for tracheal intubation developed in 156 +/- 12 s (mean +/- SEM), and the clinical duration of the initial dose was 36 +/- 2 min. When the initial dose of vecuronium was administered in two increments, a 0.015 mg/kg "priming" dose, followed 6 min later by a 0.050 mg/kg "intubating" dose, intubation time decreased to 61 +/- 3 s and clinical duration to 21 +/- 1 min. ⋯ With the described technique, comparable intubating conditions could be obtained just as rapidly with vecuronium as with succinylcholine chloride, without subjecting the patients to the side effects of and the complications occasionally encountered with succinylcholine. An added advantage of the use of a priming dose is that it will reveal undiagnosed, pathologic, or idiopathic increase of sensitivity to nondepolarizing muscle relaxants.
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A new form of airway has recently been described, which is introduced blindly into the hypopharynx to form a seal around the larynx, so permitting spontaneous or positive pressure ventilation without penetration of the larynx or oesophagus. The further development of this new airway is described and the results of 18 months' clinical experience are presented. ⋯ The incidence of sore throat and other problems was low. Experience of more than 500 cases suggests that the laryngeal mask airway may have a valuable rôle to play in all types of inhalational anaesthesia, while its proven value in some cases of difficult intubation indicates that it may contribute significantly to the safety of general anaesthesia.
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Critical care medicine · Mar 1985
Forward displacement of the larynx for nasogastric tube insertion in intubated patients.
Simple insertion of a nasogastric (NG) tube was successful in only 52 of 100 anesthetized intubated patients. After the larynx was manually pulled forward, the NG tube was successfully inserted in 33 patients. ⋯ The difficulty of NG tube insertion was not correlated with sex, age, weight, or type of endotracheal intubation. Forward displacement of the larynx by manually gripping and lifting the thyroid cartilage is a useful and safe maneuver that facilitates NG tube insertion in anesthetized intubated patients.
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Jpen Parenter Enter · Mar 1985
Case ReportsPneumothorax complicating enteral feeding tube placement.
Two cases are presented of pneumothorax complicating enteral feeding tube insertion. A previous report describing three similar cases is noted. Neurologically impaired patients appear to be particularly at risk for this complication, which may be encouraged by use of a guidewire during tube insertion. It is suggested that enteral feeding tubes in neurologically impaired patients be inserted under fluoroscopic guidance using a tube specifically designed for this purpose.
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During a period of 11 1/2 months, 41 of 217 adult burn patients admitted to the U. S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center required endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy for management of the airway and/or ventilatory assistance. ⋯ For initial respiratory support, we favor the use of translaryngeal (nasotracheal) tubes for periods up to 3 weeks. Fiberoptic bronchoscopic examination is the most reliable follow-up method for detecting anatomic damage in such patients. Spirometry can be used as a noninvasive screening test and xeroradiograms are helpful in assessing the degree of tracheal stenosis.