Aerodynamic properties of four tracheoesophageal puncture prostheses

Airway resistance calculations were completed for two tracheoesophageal puncture prostheses (American V. Mueller Blom-Singer Voice Prosthesis and BIVONA Low Resistance Voice Prosthesis), which have recently become available on a commercial basis. These calculations were compared with those made previously for two, existing prostheses: the Blom-Singer duckbill and the Panje Voice Button. Substantial differences in airway resistance properties exist among these four devices. BIVONA Low Resistance devices exhibited the lowest resistance (less than 50 cm H2O/liters per second [LPS]); Panje Voice Buttons exhibited the highest (180 to 200 cm H2O/LPS); and Blom-Singer devices exhibited intermediate values (110 to 125 cm H2O/LPS) of opposition.