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Updated: Mar 17, 2026

The Rigid Tube as an Alternative in Controlling the Problematic Airway
Published on: June 6, 2020
Do Not Burn Your Airway Bridge: A Technique to Safely Exchange a Tracheostomy Tube for a Tracheal Tube
Miguel Alejandro Patiño1, Dam-Thuy Truong, Angela Truong
1From the *Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia; and †Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
Abstract:
Tracheostomy is one of the most ancient and commonly performed surgical procedures. When tracheostomized patients require a subsequent intervention, it is usually necessary to exchange the tracheostomy tube for a tracheal tube, which can be dangerous. These potential complications may be overlooked or underestimated by the anesthesia providers. An inability to ventilate the patient and replace the tube after removal of a fresh tracheostomy tube can escalate rapidly to a life-threatening crisis. We present a case in which an airway exchange catheter was used to safely replace a tracheostomy tube with a tracheal tube in a patient with a fresh tracheostomy.
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