title: Clinical evaluation of the "T-Dagger": a new bedside percutaneous dilational tracheostomy device.
abstract: A number of percutaneous dilational tracheostomy devices are now available for clinical use. Recently, a new percutaneous dilational tracheostomy device, the "T-Dagger" (Criticure Invasives, India), has been introduced for rapid bedside percutaneous tracheostomy. In a prospective preliminary study, we have performed percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) using the T-Dagger in 20 adult ventilated patients in order to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the new device. The T-Dagger facilitated bedside PDT in about 3 min with no untoward incidents. There was no significant bleeding, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, tracheal wall injuries or difficulty in ventilation in any of the patients. We conclude that the T-Dagger shows early promise in bedside percutaneous dilational tracheostomy. However, controlled studies are required in a larger patient population before it can be recommended for routine use.
authors.affiliation: Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India. ambeshsp@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Ambesh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Pant
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004106:Dilatation / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods