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Thu Sep 20 17:53:13 BST 2007

HI Tug, 
Although a longer tube and your catheter mount will increase the dead space, in adults this volume will have little effect as compared to the overall tidal volume of 6-7ml/|Kg. 
Children are a very different affair and ideally with small children and babies (<25Kg and below to pick a number!) your breathing system should connect directly to the tube, as even 10-15mls could be significant.

Uncut ET tubes are always a controversial area. In major facial trauma, burns or other conditions producing major swelling then they are appropriate, but in most other circumstances they can produce problems with endobronchial postioning, migration and kinking.

Mark F
UK

----- Original Message ----
From: "tuganddawn at talktalk.net" <tuganddawn at talktalk.net>
To: trauma-list at trauma.org
Sent: Thursday, 20 September, 2007 12:45:54 PM
Subject: Dead space

Hello everyone,

   I recently had a conversation with a Paramedic colleage who suggested that if you intubate a patient (prehospital) with an uncut ETT you should not use a cobb connector (the corrugated plastic tubing betweeen BVM and tube) because of the excessive dead space created.
Though I appreciate that we are using manual ventillation I disagreed with this in adult patients due to the relatively small size of these connectors.
   I appreciate that this is an extremely basic question but I am curious to see what the consensus is.
   Thanks for your time and patience ladies and gents and look forward to your responses.

  Take care and Kindest Regards

FF Tug Crumpton SR para
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Dead space