Is normal saline an acceptable alternative to silicone for lubricating fibrescopes?
This article describes a model designed to measure the forces acting on a fibrescope when it is pushed through an endotracheal tube. Lubrication with either silicone or normal saline leads to a reduction in friction forces. Fibrescopes lubricated with normal saline require a larger force to be advanced through endotracheal tubes when compared to silicone; however, the difference is clinically unimportant and is outweighed by the advantageous properties of normal saline. A theoretical model is presented which is in close agreement with experimentally derived data.
Department of Anaesthesia, University of Basel/Kantonsspital, Switzerland.
H G
HG
Schaefer
M A
MA
Kaufmann
S C
SC
Marsch
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H
Rudin
D002073:Butanes / Q000737:chemistry; D019723:Endoscopes; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008153:Lubrication; D008956:Models, Chemical; D012827:Silicone Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013499:Surface Properties
D002073:Butanes; D012827:Silicone Oils; C081284:Silkospray; D012965:Sodium Chloride