Why do ICU patients need endotracheal tube

In the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of a hospital, endotracheal tube is a vital medical operation. For many critically ill patients, endotracheal tube is not only a key measure to maintain life, but also an important step on their road to recovery. So why do ICU patients need endotracheal tube?

ICU patients are often in critical condition and may have impaired consciousness, weakened or absent cough reflex, etc. These will cause the patient to be unable to effectively clear respiratory secretions, such as sputum, vomit, etc., thus causing airway obstruction. Endotracheal tube can directly clear secretions in the respiratory tract and maintain airway patency by inserting a special catheter into the patient's trachea. In this way, the patient can breathe smoothly and avoid dangerous situations such as suffocation caused by airway obstruction.

ICU patients may have damaged or vulnerable airways due to various reasons, such as facial trauma, burns, or surgery. endotracheal tube can create a barrier between the patient's airway and the external environment, preventing external bacteria, viruses and other pathogens from entering the airway, thereby reducing the risk of lung infection. At the same time, endotracheal intubation can also prevent patients from accidentally aspirating oral secretions or gastric contents due to impaired consciousness or weakened cough reflex, further protecting the safety of the airway.

For ICU patients with respiratory failure or respiratory arrest, endotracheal tube is an important channel to connect to the ventilator. Through the endotracheal intubation, the ventilator can deliver oxygen to the patient's lungs and expel carbon dioxide, thereby assisting or replacing the patient's spontaneous breathing. This method of mechanical ventilation can ensure that the patient has sufficient oxygen supply and maintains the stability of vital signs. At the same time, the ventilator can also be adjusted and optimized according to the patient's condition and needs to provide personalized respiratory support.

Tracheal intubation not only provides respiratory support for ICU patients, but also facilitates medical staff to monitor the patient's respiratory function. Through tracheal intubation, medical staff can easily extract arterial blood gas samples from patients to understand the patient's oxygen supply and carbon dioxide discharge. At the same time, the tracheal intubation can also be connected to the ventilator to monitor the patient's respiratory parameters such as respiratory rate and tidal volume in real time, providing an important basis for adjusting the treatment plan.

In the ICU, the patient's condition may change at any time and an emergency may occur. As an emergency medical operation, endotracheal intubation can quickly establish an artificial airway in a short period of time, buying precious time for the patient's rescue. For example, in emergency situations such as cardiac arrest, severe trauma or acute respiratory failure, endotracheal intubation can quickly restore the patient's respiratory function and create favorable conditions for subsequent treatment and rescue.

There are many reasons why ICU patients need endotracheal intubation, but in the final analysis, it is to maintain the stability of the patient's vital signs, protect the airway safety, assist breathing, and monitor respiratory function. As an important medical operation in the ICU, endotracheal intubation has brought hope of life to countless critically ill patients. In the future, with the continuous advancement and innovation of medical technology, we have reason to believe that endotracheal intubation will play a greater role in more fields and make greater contributions to human health.