Respiratory Aids

An endotracheal tube (also called an ET tube or ETT) is used in anaesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine for airway management and mechanical ventilation. more...

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The tube is inserted into a patient's trachea in order to ensure that the airway is not closed off and that air is able to reach the lungs. The endotracheal tube is regarded as the most reliable available method for protecting a patient's airway.

Inventor

Sir Ivan Magill or Ivan Whiteside Magill (1888-1986) was an Irish born anaesthetist who is famous for his involvement in much of the innovation and development in modern anaesthesia.

Originally a general practitioner, he accepted a post at the Queen's Hospital, Sidcup in 1919 as an anaesthetist. The hospital had been established for the treatment of facial injuries sustained in the World War I. Working with plastic surgeon Harold Gillies, he was responsible for the development of numerous items of anaesthetic equipment but most particularly the single-tube technique of endotracheal anaesthesia. This was driven by the immense difficulties of administering \"standard\" anaesthetics such as chloroform and ether to men with severe facial injury using masks; they would cover the operative field. Following the closure of the hospital, and the diminishing numbers of patients seen from the war era, he continued to work with Gillies in private practice but was also appointed to the Westminster and Brompton Hospitals in London.

He was Knighted by Queen Elizebeth II in 1960.

The original tubes were cut from a roll of rubber industrial tubing by his assistant, hence the natural curve of the tube. A curved metal adaptor was designed (Magill oral & nasal connectors) and a 4\" black rubber connecting hose to fit to the anaesthetic circuit was adapted from an MG brake hose and named the 'catheter mount' by Magill's theatre technician at Westminster Hospital. originally, there was no inflatable cuff, the tube was packed either side of the sub-glottis by two green anaesthetic swabs, with ribbon gauze sewn on by hand to aid extraction at extubation of the ETT. Anaesthetic gel or ointment was used to lubricate the tube and provide some relief for the patients sore throat post procedure. (This author was one of the theatre technicians and can verify this technique personally- CjW)

Portex Medical (England and France) produced the first cuffless plastic 'Ivory' ET tubes, in conjunction with Dr Magilll's design later adding a cuff as manufacturing techniques became more viable, these were glued on by hand to make the famous Blue-line tube copied by many other manufacturers.

Mallincrodt GmBH developed the disposable ETT and produced a plethora of design variations, adding the 'Murphy Eye' to their tubes in case of 'accidental' placement of the tube to avoid right bronchial occlusion.

Read more at Wikipedia.org