Endotracheal Tube

There are many reasons why an endotracheal tube may be placed, including surgery with a general anesthetic, trauma, or serious illness. An endotracheal tube is placed when a patient is unable to breathe on their own, when it is necessary to sedate and "rest" someone who is very ill, or to protect the airway. The tube maintains the airway so that air can pass into and out of the lungs.

What is a reinforced endotracheal tube?
Wire-reinforced or armored ETTs incorporate a series of concentric steel wire rings embedded in the wall of the tube along its entire length. These are designed to make the tube flexible and resist kinking with positioning. They are promoted for use in head and neck surgery, where surgical positioning may require bending and movement of the ETT. They are also useful for intubating through a mature tracheostomy stoma or a surgically divided airway (as in tracheal reconstruction), where the flexibility of the tube allows less interference with the surgical field. Although kink-resistant, these tubes are not kink- or obstruction-proof.Unfortunately, if the tube is crimped or kinked, it cannot return to its normal shape and must be changed.