An endotracheal tube is a breathing tube. It is used temporarily for breathing because it keeps your airway open. This curved tube is placed through the patient's nose or mouth into his trachea (windpipe). Tape or a soft strap holds the tube in place.
Types of endotracheal tube include oral or nasal, cuffed or uncuffed, preformed (e.g. RAE (Ring, Adair, and Elwyn) tube), reinforced tubes, and double-lumen endobronchial tubes. For human use, tubes range in size from 2 to 10.5 mm in internal diameter (ID). The size is chosen based on the patient's body size, with the smaller sizes being used for pediatric and neonatal patients. Tubes larger than 6 mm ID usually have an inflatable cuff.
An endotracheal tube is used :
- To attach a ventilator if the patient is unable to breathe on its own.
- To keep the patient's trachea (windpipe) open.
- To allow the staff to remove mucus from the patient's lungs so that he is unable to cough up himself.