Standard Device vs COVID Airway All-In-One Tracheostomy Device Reduces Insertion Trauma, Infection, Ventilator Time, Medical Waste
Standard introducer device
The standard introducer (blue device):
- is difficult to insert requiring high force and friction applied to the patient’s tissues;
- tracks microbes in, shown on the right side of the first insert;
- compromises the airway and bronchoscopic view as the trachea is forcefully depressed repeatedly, shown in the second insert;
- is removed once the tissue is dilated, then the tracheostomy tube must be inserted, again requiring high force and friction applied to the patient’s tissues, not shown.
COVID Airway All-In-One Device
The third insert shows the everting device solution (white and purple device representing an integral introducer and tracheostomy tube inserted into a pink rubber disc representing the neck tissue):
- is easy to insert, using a syringe-like method, requiring no force or friction on the patient’s tissues;
- provides clean access as no microbes are tracked in, shown on the left side of the first insert;
- does not compromise the airway or bronchoscopic view as no force on the neck tissue is needed for advancement;
- provides one step as the integral introducer and tracheostomy tube are inserted and the introducer easily removed leaving the tracheostomy tube in place.