Emergency ventilation with a Chevalier Jackson's metal tracheostomy tube

Chevalier Jackson's metal tracheostomy tube is the oldest tracheostomy tube and has survived to the present day. This is probably because it is easy to use and cost-effective. However its biggest limitation is that it lacks provision to connect to a ventilating circuit in an emergency. Here we describe a simple and effective technique for ventilation with Chevalier Jackson's metal tracheostomy tube. Ventilation can be achieved by connecting the tracheostomy tube to an appropriate size universal 15 mm endotracheal tube connector. We have also worked out a formula for selection of appropriate connector for various sizes of tracheostomy tube. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.