Failed Awake Intubation for Critical Airway Obstruction Rescued With the Ventrain Device and an Arndt Exchange Catheter

: A Case Report A 71-year-old man with advanced vocal cord carcinoma presented with severe airway obstruction. Therapeutic anticoagulation with enoxaparin complicated management. Failure of an oral awake bronchoscopic intubation was rescued by passing a guidewire through the working channel and threading an Arndt exchange catheter into the trachea under videoscopic vision. Ventilation with the Ventrain device lasting 40 minutes (15 L/min, inspiration/expiration 1:1, 15 breaths/min), during IV anesthesia with muscle paralysis, resulted in excellent blood gas values until placement of the tracheal cannula. This case report highlights the effectiveness of a novel ventilation technique that should be considered as back-up when bronchoscopic intubation fails.

Arndt Airway Exchange Catheter Set
https://www.cookmedical.com/products/cc_caelma_webds/

Ventrain® is a single-use, small lumen ventilation device designed for difficult or obstructed airway situations.

• Actively controls both INSPIRATION and EXPIRATION
• Fully controlled ventilation of a patient with an obstructed upper airway
• Net reduction of energy to the lungs- reduces the risk of barotrauma
• Provides a I:E ratio of 1:1
• Side-stream capnometry connector

Provides fully controlled ventilation in “Cannot Intubate, Cannot Oxygenate” situations.

 

Ventrain stated for use in ‘Draw 5- Plan D’ of the Difficult Airway Trolley (DAT).

 

For a demonstrational video click here (http://www.ventinovamedical.com/ventrain/)