1 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6
Ideas Work
P r a c t i c a l p e a r l s f r o m y o u r c o l l e a g u e s
That
SECURING
ENDOTROACHEAL
TUBES
• TOOTH TO TUBE Secure endotracheal tubes by tying dental floss around a patient's front tooth.
Derek
Chien,
MD
W
hen we need to secure an endotracheal tube and don't
want to use tape, our anesthesiologist, Derek Chien, MD,
ties dental floss around one of the patient's front teeth and
then around the tube. We use dental floss in several instances, such as
when the patient has a beard and you can't tape the tube to the face
very well, when we're doing a facelift or some other procedure on the
face or around the mouth where tape would be in the way, or when
patients have tape sensitivity. Some surgeons use wire (ouch!) or even
sutures to secure tubes. Dental floss is inexpensive, easy to place and
tie, and easy to remove.
Theda C. Kontis, MD
Facial Plastic Surgicenter
Tie Dental Floss Around a Tooth
Baltimore, Md.
tckontis@aol.com
