Commercial Availability

 

 

There were many difficulties with patent application for the doublele-lumen esophageal-tracheal combitube (ETC) and finding a company producing this device (2). The Sheridan Catheter Corporation (Argyle, New York, United States) recognized the potential of this device and late in the year 1988, the ETC went into full production.

 

The ETC first became commercially available in one size (with an outer diameter of 41 French; marketed under Combitube); later, Frass recommended the use of this large-sized 41-French ETC only for extremely large patients (with a height of about 180 cm or more) and favoured the small-sized ETC (the Small Adult Combitube, with an outer diameter of 37 French) for routine use in normal-sized adult patients.

 

 

References