Confirmation of needle cricothyroidotomy using an esophageal detector device in a porcine model

The difficult intubation is one of the most trying situations encountered in airway management. Transtracheal jet ventilation via needle cricothyroidotomy can provide temporary oxygenation in this critical situation in a minimally invasive fashion. The esophageal detector device (EDD) has been previously shown to be effective in determining the tracheal placement of endotracheal tubes. In this experiment, three commonly available EDDs are utilized to accurately identify 15 of 15 intratracheal placements of a 16-gauge i.v. catheter in five cadaveric domestic swine. The incorporation of EDDs in i.v. catheter placement for needle cricothyroidotomy is shown to be effective and merits further study. Likewise, further investigation is needed to identify a standardized apparatus for needle cricothyroidotomy in emergent situations.