Intubation is a procedure performed when the person’s body cannot perform its breathing function on its own. The doctor makes it easier for air to enter and exit the lungs by placing a tube down the throat of the patient with breathing difficulties and into the trachea. Extra oxygen is pumped into the lungs of the patient, who is connected to the breathing device through the tube, along with the air. The device also helps to expel carbon dioxide from the lungs. Thanks to this procedure, the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the patient’s lungs are brought to a healthy level. intubation; It is an intervention applied in cases where the respiratory tract cannot be used, enough oxygen cannot reach the lungs, the patient cannot breathe, and in such cases.
In Which Situations Are Patients Intubated?
There are major reasons for patients to be intubated. One of these causes is obstruction or damage to the respiratory tract. Apart from this, intubation can be applied for reasons such as failure of the lung to fulfill its function, sudden loss of heart function, loss of respiratory control due to loss of consciousness.
Conditions Requiring Intubation:
Cardiac arrest (cardiac arrest)
Respiratory barriers
Surgical operations using general anesthesia
Lung diseases that cause respiratory failure
Neurological diseases that prevent breathing
Loss of consciousness
Neck and chest injuries affecting breathing
The patient is also intubated during surgical operations that prevent the patient from breathing on their own. This situation is usually encountered during emergency surgeries. In emergency surgeries, a planned procedure cannot be carried out before general anesthesia is performed. Therefore, the patient may not be able to enter the operation on an empty stomach or may not meet the other requirements of general anesthesia. If the patient vomits or has stomach bleeding during surgery, it is important to prevent substances that will enter the lungs. It is considered appropriate for the patient to be intubated in order to avoid any risk in this process.
How Does the Intubation Procedure Work?
The patient to be intubated is first given anesthetic agents. In this way, the patient is prevented from suffering during the intubation procedure. With anesthetic agents, the muscles in the patient’s respiratory tract are relaxed and the patient is put to sleep. The patient’s head is tilted back and the patient’s larynx is viewed through an apparatus called a laryngoscope. The intubation tube is then inserted into the trachea and fixed when it is in the correct position. Fixation takes place by inflating a balloon around the tube. With this procedure, it is ensured that sufficient air will reach both lungs from the point where the trachea connects to the lung. As a second control, it is checked over the device that the patient’s lungs get equal air. Finally, the other end of the tube is connected to the respirator.
Since the intubation tube passes through the vocal cords of the patient, intubated patients cannot speak or swallow. Therefore, it is not possible for intubated patients to eat or drink. Depending on how long the patient will be intubated, it may be necessary to feed via serum. When the doctor deems it appropriate to terminate the patient’s intubation, he will remove the tube in accordance with certain procedures. After the tube is removed, the patient may have difficulty breathing on his own for a while. Such difficulties may occur, especially when the patient is connected to a ventilator. Cough and throat discomfort are likely for a few days after intubation.
What Are the Risks of Intubation?
Intubation is a procedure that is generally safe and can save patients’ lives when performed correctly. Most patients recover within a few hours or a few days after intubation and do not experience any problems. But there are also certain complications that are rare. While the intubation tube is being passed through the larynx, voice reduction may occur due to damage or irritation of the vocal cords. Irritation of the tissues in the mouth by the laryngoscopy device is also among the possible complications. Another risk of intubation is irritation of the lung or trachea that develops due to incorrect positioning of the tube. If the intubation tube is fixed incorrectly, substances may escape from the esophagus to the trachea. In this case, the patient may experience aspiration.
Intubating some patients may not be considered safe. In certain situations, a different procedure is performed if the physician considers that intubation would put the patient at risk. If there are obstacles to the safe placement of the intubation tube in the patient’s airway, the patient is not intubated. Under these circumstances, the physician may consider it appropriate to surgically open the patient’s airway. This procedure, called tracheostomy, is the opening of a hole in the trachea from the front of the patient’s neck.