To the Editor:—
I read with interest Dr. Feingold's technique for using the LTA® cannula (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL) to facilitate a difficult intubation. 1What I do not understand is, after the cannula is through the vocal cords and in the trachea, why not use it as a stylet guide over which the endotracheal tube is advanced into the trachea? We originally described this technique in 1977. 2Cahen independently described the same technique in 1991. 3Others 4have reported using our technique many times to “save the day.”
References
1.
Feingold A: LTA cannula can facilitate a difficult tracheal intubation (letter). A nesthesiology 2001; 94: 1153
2.
Rosenberg MB, Levesque PR, Bourke DL: Use of the LTA®kit as a guide to intubation. Anesth Analg 1977; 56: 287–8
3.
Cahen CR: An aid in cases of difficult tracheal intubation (letter). A nesthesiology 1991; 74: 197
4.
Sommer RM, Capan LM: An aid in cases of difficult tracheal intubation (letter). A nesthesiology 1991; 73: 964
