Significance of a clean-tip catheter closed suctioning system in a high-setting ventilated, super morbidly obese patient with profuse respiratory secretions

INTRODUCTION: Closed suctioning is commonly used in the context of high-setting mechanical ventilation (MV), given its ability to prevent lung volume loss that otherwise accompanies open suctioning. However, closed suctioning systems (CSS) are not equivalent regarding components and capabilities, and thus this technique may be differentially effective to adequately clear patient secretions from an endotracheal tube (ETT), which is of paramount importance when the tube size makes the ETT particularly vulnerable to block by patient secretions.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 25-year-old super morbidly obese female (body mass index = 55 kg/meter2) presented with worsening shortness of breath. For MV, pairing of a 6 mm (mm) diameter ETT to accommodate the patient's vocal cord edema, with a CSS not designed to maintain a clean catheter tip, precipitated ETT blockage and respiratory acidosis. Replacement of these devices with a 6.5 mm ETT and a CSS designed to keep the catheter tip clean resolved the complications. After use of the different ETT and CSS for approximately one week, the patient was discharged to home.

DISCUSSION: The clean-tip catheter CSS enabled a more patent airway than its counterpart device that did not have this feature. Use of a clean-tip catheter CSS was an important care development for this patient, because this individual's super morbidly obese condition minimized tolerance for MV complications that would exacerbate her pre-existing tenuous respiratory health status.

CONCLUSION: Special attention should be given to the choices of ETT size and CSS to manage super morbidly obese patients who have a history of difficult airway access.