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Barrier enclosure in tracheostomy: a protective box for healthcare workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Part of: JLO Coronavirus Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2022

N P Nair ,
V Sharma ,
A Dixit ,
S Goyal ,
S G Dixit ,
A Goyal Open the ORCID record for A Goyal [Opens in a new window]  and
S Misra
N P Nair
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
V Sharma
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
A Dixit
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
S Goyal
Affiliation:
Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
S G Dixit
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
A Goyal*
Affiliation:
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
S Misra
Affiliation:
Department of Surgical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
*
Author for correspondence: Dr Amit Goyal, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur 342005, Rajasthan, India E-mail: meetugoyal@yahoo.com
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Abstract

Background

Tracheostomy, being a high aerosol-generating procedure, poses a great challenge to surgeons, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. It is important to preserve staff numbers as this fight may go on for a long time. Personal protective equipment plays a key role in the protection of healthcare workers. Barrier enclosure has been attempted in procedures such as intubation and tracheostomy. The use of boxes became popularised for intubation and they have been utilised in many centres.

Methods

This paper describes the box designed by our team and presents our surgical experience with the box. The box is made of transparent acrylic. It is sealed at all ends, with a negative-pressure environment. The hand ports were designed to allow maximum manoeuvrability for surgeons, without restricting hand movements.

Conclusion

The proposed box will provide more protection to healthcare workers during tracheostomy. However, the box is yet to be validated.

Keywords

AerosolsTracheostomyCOVID-19

Information

Type
Short Communications
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 136 , Issue 3 , March 2022 , pp. 265 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.

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Footnotes

Dr A Goyal takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

References

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