2 Endotracheal tubes Background Endotracheal (ET) tubes are placed within the trachea as a definitive airway to allow mechanical ventilation in a patient who cannot maintain their own airway due to, for example, a low level of consciousness, in a cardiac arrest situation or during anaesthesia. Patients in intensive care units are frequently intubated and ventilated. The CXR is the gold standard for determining placement of the tube. A knowledge of anatomy is the key for interpretation. Radiological features There are only two directions in which the ET tube can go: the trachea, or oesophagus. The latter is of course undesirable but very difficult to diagnose on a frontal CXR as the oesophagus lies immediately posterior to the trachea within the mediastinum and the CXR is a 2D representation of the thorax. Excessive air in the upper GI tract can be a sign of accidental intubation of the oesophagus. Fig. 2.1 This patient has an appropriately positioned ET tube (arrow 1). The ET tube tip should be approximately 5 cm, or a few vertebral body heights above the carina (arrow 2). Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related posts: Chest drains Empyema Chronic pancreatitis Large bowel obstruction Brodie’s abscess Slipped upper femoral epiphysis Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join Tags: On-Call X-Rays Made Easy Aug 20, 2016 | Posted by admin in ULTRASONOGRAPHY | Comments Off on Endotracheal tubes Full access? Get Clinical Tree
2 Endotracheal tubes Background Endotracheal (ET) tubes are placed within the trachea as a definitive airway to allow mechanical ventilation in a patient who cannot maintain their own airway due to, for example, a low level of consciousness, in a cardiac arrest situation or during anaesthesia. Patients in intensive care units are frequently intubated and ventilated. The CXR is the gold standard for determining placement of the tube. A knowledge of anatomy is the key for interpretation. Radiological features There are only two directions in which the ET tube can go: the trachea, or oesophagus. The latter is of course undesirable but very difficult to diagnose on a frontal CXR as the oesophagus lies immediately posterior to the trachea within the mediastinum and the CXR is a 2D representation of the thorax. Excessive air in the upper GI tract can be a sign of accidental intubation of the oesophagus. Fig. 2.1 This patient has an appropriately positioned ET tube (arrow 1). The ET tube tip should be approximately 5 cm, or a few vertebral body heights above the carina (arrow 2). Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related posts: Chest drains Empyema Chronic pancreatitis Large bowel obstruction Brodie’s abscess Slipped upper femoral epiphysis Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join Tags: On-Call X-Rays Made Easy Aug 20, 2016 | Posted by admin in ULTRASONOGRAPHY | Comments Off on Endotracheal tubes Full access? Get Clinical Tree
