A LABORATORY COMPARISON OF 2 TECHNIQUES OF EMERGENCY PERCUTANEOUS TRACHEOSTOMY

This laboratory study was designed to compare the speed of placement o f a percutaneous tracheostomy using two common methods and to evaluate any damage caused to the trachea. The same operator who was experienc ed with both techniques placed 10 percutaneous tracheostomies into a p ig tracheal model, five using the Griggs tracheostomy forceps techniqu e and five using the Ciaglia sequential dilatation technique. Placemen t of the tracheostomy was significantly faster using the Griggs techni que (mean 89 s, range 69-105 s) than using the Ciaglia sequential dila tor technique (mean 217 s, range 180-267 s). Damage to the posterior w all was noted in four of the tracheas. We concluded that the Griggs te chnique is rapid and in trained hands may be suitable for emergency ai rway access. In addition, the pig trachea model is easy to set up and provides a very useful training tool.