STUDY OBJECTIVE Laryngeal mask airways (LMAs) are often used as airway rescue devices where laryngoscopy is difficult. The LMA does not protect the airway and is preferably replaced with a cuffed endotracheal tube. There are reports of cases where an Eschmann tracheal tube introducer (ETTI) was successfully used to bridge between a standard LMA and an endotracheal tube. This project was designe...

A collapsible tube surrounded by soft material within a rigid box was proposed as a two-dimensional mechanical model for the pharyngeal airway. This model predicts that changes in the box size (pharyngeal bony enclosure size anatomically defined as cross-sectional area bounded by the inside edge of bony structures such as the mandible, maxilla, and spine, and being perpendicular to the airway) ...

A 61-yr-old woman (weight, 121 kg) presented to the operating room for closure of an abdominal wound. Her history was notable for morbid obesity and restrictive lung disease, necessitating numerous therapeutic bronchoscopies for correction of atelectasis. The patient did not have symptoms of recurrent aspiration. She was not specifically questioned about coughing associated with food intake. Ap...

BACKGROUND Advancements in tracheostomy tube design now provide clinicians with a range of options to facilitate communication for individuals receiving ventilator assistance through a cuffed tube. Little is known about the impact of these modern design features on resistance to air flow. METHODS We undertook a bench model test to measure pressure-flow characteristics and resistance of a rang...

Three species of the genus Sectonema, namely S. demani, S. heynsi and S. macrospiculum, originally described by E. Altherr, are re-described on the basis of type material. Detailed descriptions, morphometrics and illustrations, including line drawings and/or LM pictures, diagnoses and remarks about their identity and later reports are provided for each species. Sectonema demani is characterized...