FAILED EMERGENCY TRANSTRACHEAL VENTILATION THROUGH A 14-GAUGE INTRAVENOUS CATHETER

We encountered two patients who could be neither ventilated nor intuba ted after induction of anesthesia. ln both cases, transtracheal ventil ation failed after emergent cricothyroid membrane puncture with a 14-g auge intravenous (IV) catheter. In the first case, two catheters place d in rapid succession kinked, preventing gas exchange. In the second c ase, absence of a plunger on the needle-over-catheter assembly prevent ed confirmation of intratracheal placement. Both patients required eme rgent tracheal access by the surgeon. We suggest that transtracheal ve ntilation via standard IV catheters as a primary emergent rescue techn ique be reassessed.