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Light-guided tracheal puncture for percutaneous tracheostomy

From the Departments of Neurosurgery,
^* Anesthesia and Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Orlando Hung, Department of Anesthesia, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Victoria General Site, 1278 Tower Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 2Y9 Canada. Phone: 902-473-7767; Fax: 902-423-9454; E-mail: hungorla{at}is.dal.ca

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of lightwand-guided tracheal puncture for percutaneous tracheostomy.

Methods: The desired puncture site was marked on the skin of the anterior neck. A lightwand (Trachlight) was inserted into the patient's endotracheal tube (ETT), so that the number indicator on the lightwand matched the number indicator of the ETT of the patient. At this position, the light bulb of the lightwand was exactly placed at the tip of the endotracheal tube. With the lightwand turned on, the lightwand together with the endotracheal tube (ETT-LW) was slowly withdrawn from the trachea until a bright glow in the anterior neck could be seen 1 cm above the marked puncture site. At this position, the tip of the ETT was 1 cm above the puncture site.

Results: Percutaneous tracheostomy via a light-guided tracheal puncture was performed on 11 neurosurgical patients. The withdrawal of the endotracheal tube to a location above the puncture was accomplished easily with the lightwand. All percutaneous tracheostomies performed were successful, with ease and without any complications.

The procedure time was 17.8 ± 5.3 min. Mechanical ventilation was not interrupted during the whole procedure.

Conclusion: The lightwand guided intratracheal puncture for percutaneous tracheostomy is a simple, effective, and safe procedure. This technique can avoid the risk of puncturing the endotracheal tube and/or cuff, thus allowing adequate ventilation and oxygenation during the percutaneous tracheostomy. Furthermore, this technique is inexpensive and minimizes the risk of damaging equipment like the fibreoptic bronchoscope.

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				F. Agro, F. Salvinelli, S. Gherardi, and M. Casale The lightwand: a useful aid in the difficult tracheostomy Can J Anesth, November 1, 2002; 49(9): 1000 - 1001. [Full Text] [PDF]