FABRICATED SINGLE LUMEN TRACHEAL CANNULA FOR A MORBIDLY OBESE PATIENT

Morbidly obese patients who manifest upper airway obstruction or pulmo nary insufficiency may require tracheostomy to ensure patency or provi de ventilatory support, respectively. In this patient population the g irth of the neck region may preclude use of currently available manufa ctured standardized tracheostomy tubes. Reported herein is the fabrica tion of a tracheal cannula with bisociation of an uncuffed endotrachea l tube and the ''swivel neck plate'' of a tracheostomy tube, to provid e a secure and comfortable single lumen tracheal prosthesis to accommo date such a patient's unique anatomy. The technique is applicable to o ther clinical scenarios if standard marketed tracheostomy tubes do not suffice.