title: Temporary and permanent restoration of airway continuity with the tracheal T-tube.
abstract: The advantages of the tracheal T-tube compared with a regular tracheostomy tube are a physiologic direction of air flow, preservation of laryngeal phonation, and superior patient acceptance. Between 1968 and 1991, 140 patients aged 7 months to 95 years underwent placement of T-, TY- (n = 7), or a modified extended T-tube (n = 4). Primary diagnosis was postintubation stenosis in 86 patients, burn injury in 13 patients, malignant airway tumors in 12 patients, and various disorders in 29 patients. Stenting with a silicone rubber tube was temporary in 31 patients and 14 underwent later operative reconstruction. Definitive permanent insertion was performed in 49 patients. A modified tube was used in 4 patients with left main bronchial stenosis with effective long-term palliation in 3. Postoperative airway obstruction prompted placement in 32 patients. Positioning of the T-tube above the vocal cords in 12 patients for subglottic stenosis was effective in 10. The T-tube was not tolerated in 28 patients (20%) because of obstruction of the upper limb or aspiration. Five of 10 patients under the age of 10 years had airway obstruction necessitating tube removal. Long-term intubation in 112 patients exceeded 1 year in 49 patients and 5 years in 12 patients. Only 5 patients required tube removal for obstructive problems more than 2 months after placement. The tracheal T-tube restores airway patency reliably with excellent long-term results and represents the preferred management of chronic airway obstruction not amenable to surgical reconstruction.
authors.affiliation: General Thoracic Surgical Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Gaissert
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mathisen
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wain
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000295:instrumentation*