The ping-pong ball microphone: facilitating speech for a patient with hand burns and a tracheostomy

Patients who have sustained thermal injuries may require tracheostomies as a result of facial burns; these operations may also be required after prolonged intubation for smoke inhalation injury or respiratory failure. For a patient with a temporary tracheostomy, speech may be achieved by occluding the opening of the tracheostomy cannula with the tip of a finger, thereby directing airflow through the vocal cords and allowing phonation to be produced. However, some patients who also have hand burns may not be able to cover the opening of the tube because of the injuries to their fingers and the bulky dressings covering them. A simple tracheal occluder can be made out of a ping-pong ball and a syringe casing. The device presented in this article allows for the restoration of speech in the types of patients described above, and it promotes purposeful movement of their upper extremities.