What is the balloon-like inflator cuff? Is it part of the endotracheal tube?
472524
At the end of the ET tube is an inflatable cuff. The purpose of this cuff is to form an airtight seal between the outside of the ET tube and the trachea. This also prevents secretions and, should vomiting occur, gastric contents from tracking down to the bronchi. It is important to ensure that the cuff remains inflated sufficiently to do this but over inflating the cuff may cause pressure on the wall of the trachea and damage to the mucosa. \n\nThe ET tube itself is kept securely in place by tying tapes around it at the lips and around the patient's neck.
699839
carries oxygen around the body
439062
Think of a helium balloon.
1044789
pulmonology text would have it.  find it at your local medical school.
745778
Sounds like the doc said, an inflamation, maybe caused by an infection.  I've had it a few times, but normally following a rib injury, which does not have to be major. You don't breathe properly, or cough, so the air in the bottom of the lungs gets stagnant.
178960
NOt a great idea,a there is a balloon attached inside, so pulling it out without deflating could be harmful.  \n\nAre finished with the tube, want a new one, can you eat without it?\n\nActually, the 800 nurse or nurse on call will probably walk you through it.  Removing the tube is not especially hard to do, you do not want to invite infection though, that is a concern.  It needs to be as clean as clean can be, you could faint, so it is best to have someone there.  It is a strange sensation. I am assuming it is a PEG tube.\n\nHere is one guy's story of peg removal:\n\nMember # 4 \n\n \n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nRemoving the peg takes about 30 seconds; I actually removed my own since I was in Santa Fe, a long ways from MDACC. Some like mine have a little thin wire in them that causes the other end to "pigtail" up once they have put it in. Cut that little wire and the tube inside straightens out and you just pull it out. A 2X2 gauze and a piece of tape for one day covered things up, and that was it. No leaks, no fuss, no muss. Other types have a small, inflated balloon at the end that keeps them in. Deflate the balloon and the tube comes right out. While I am not advocating that you take your own out, I mention all this to illustrate that it is no big deal. I had mine in for about 8 months after the completion of all the treatments... it was that long before I was able to get enough nutrition through my trashed mouth and throat. I'm glad to hear that your mouth hasn't developed mucositis yet, but in my case it really didn't show up until about the third week. Also, many get a longer course of radiation than 4 weeks, and with your short schedule, you may not have as many of the side effects that you read about from others here. Let’s hope that is the case.  \n\nHere is more: \nTube Feeding \n\nWhen surgery or treatment for oral cancer affects the patient's ability to eat, a feeding tube is inserted to facilitate meeting nutritional needs. First introduced in 1980, today more than 200,000 patients every year receive this form of therapy. The location of oral cancers, and the resulting damage to the oral / esophageal tissues from treatments, makes weight maintenance and obtaining proper nutrition especially difficult.  \n \n\nFeeding tubes may be inserted through the nasal passageway for short-term use, but for those patients who require longer use of the tube, it is customary to place the tube directly into the stomach through the abdominal wall. This second method is called a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube. The feeding tube may also be put in place in anticipation of other treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy, allowing the patient to adapt to its use prior to treatments. Feeding tubes are not painful and are not easily visible when wearing normal clothes. When not in use, they can simple be taped to the patients stomach to prevent them from moving around under clothing. \n\nPEG tubes are placed with the aid of an endoscope, the scope going down the throat to assist in guiding the placement of the tube through the wall of the stomach. The surgery is simple and involves little risk or discomfort. The procedure takes about 20 minutes. The PEG tube extends from the interior of the stomach to outside the body through a small incision only slightly larger than the tube itself in the abdominal wall. The tube is prevented from coming out of the stomach by one of several methods. Some brands have a small wire within the tube, which after insertion is pulled from the exterior end of the tubing causing the portion within the stomach to curl up or “pigtail,” preventing it from being pulled out. Other systems employ a very small balloon at the end of the tube which is inflated within the stomach after insertion, serving the same purpose. Removal of the tube simple involves cutting the wire which created the pigtail, or deflating
912741
It depends, mainly on the operation and the facilities and staff available in the operating department.\n\nThere are alternatives to a full endotracheal tube, like laryngeal mask airways and nasal airways but there are some risks involved in their use.\n\nThere are alternatives to a full general anaesthetic but often there are very good reasons, especially muscle depolorisation, which make it very much prefered for most surgery.\n\nIf you are concerned, talk to your surgeon but, in my humble opinion, it's perhaps considering whether you're risking the success of the operation to avoid some relatively mild discomfort.
859391
A stent is like a tube that is placed inside the artery to allow the blood to travel through it.
593134
Instead of surgury a new recent method has come up in which a deflated balloon is inserted in thru the nose and then it is inflated to open up the vent/duct.Find more from your Dr.
682695
It's kind of like a spring, what it looks like, and the doctors use it when they are fixing a heart murmur, for a Patent ductus arteriosus at least they use it and if you just want to shorten the term use PDA but anyways, they put it into your heart, where it'll close whatever's open. Think they use it all murmurs and holes really.\n~It's not metal or anything and the tissue of the heart will grow around it. Also if you want some other stuff here it is, they take you into surgery, where you'll put you under anestecs(sp?), then they'll put a tube up your lower area, so that it reaches the heart, it'll hurt afterwards and you'll have to stay laying down for a while, however long the doctor says, and then if your an out patient you'll go home. The surgery will leave a scar, but it's so tiny you won't even notice it, it's actually amazing how small it is, I was surprised when I first saw the insicians on my leg. You probably won't be allowed to run, lift things that require two hands, or any extranious work for at least 10 days. You will also probably have to go back a year later to your cardiologist to make sure whatever problem there was is fixed.
182502
Respiration is performed using tracheae, air-filled tubes which open at the surfaces of the thorax and abdomen through pairs of spiracles. The spiracle valves only open to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. The tracheoles, found at the end of the tracheal tubes, are insinuated between cells and carry oxygen throughout the body.
963800
The breathing tube that you refer to is called an ET tube (endotracheal tube).  Only experienced medical professionals can intubate someone, or as you say, put a breathing tube in someone.  Maybe you are thinking of some other procedure the doctor performed on your girlfriend. If your girlfriend is truly having trouble breathing then you need to call 9-1-1.
179994
It is a long weighted  gastric tube inserted in the nose and swallowed by the patient.  It works it's way down to the small intestine, and it's purpose is to help open obstructions or narrowing of the small intestine.\n\nThe tip of the tube (once it is swallowed) has a small balloon that can be inflated with a weighted substance.  Years ago Mercury was used, but non toxic substances are now used.  I haven't seen one  in years, and I didn't know it was still being used.
205997
It's a port-a-cath, or infusaport.  They numb the skin under your clavicle (coller bone), then use a long needle to insert a catheter into your superior vena cava (large vein feeding into the heart).  They take the needle out, then make a small incision to implant the "port".  So, the whole thing is under your skin.  You then use another needle to access the port, which can be removed after the treatment is given.  It's very nifty.
17754
Its called an air embolus.  When receiving a shot (any shot - vaccine, insulin, etc) you should always "tap out" the bubbles in it.  You never know what can happen.  I'm in school studying to be a physician assistant.  One day in class, our professor told us a story about a resident who walked by a patient receiving some sort of treatment.  He noticed that something was hanging done and plugged it into the patient's IV line.  Unknowingly, this pushed air into the IV line and about 5 minutes later this patient died.  IT doesn't take long at all.  Also, be aware that this isn't the only type of embolism out there - after birth women can experience an amniotic fluid embolus, after fracturing a long bone one can have a fat embolus, and the most common type is a pulmonary embolus which results usually from the lower leg and inactivity (such as a long  trip).\n\nAn excerpt from the article I site:\n Large boluses of air (3-8 mL/kg) can cause acute right ventricular outflow obstruction and result in cardiogenic shock and circulatory arrest. Intermediate amounts of air collect in the pulmonary circulation and produce a pulmonary vascular injury manifested by pre- and postcapillary pulmonary vasoconstriction, pulmonary hypertension, endothelial injury, and permeability pulmonary edema. \n\nVAE is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.
320300
Hyaline cartilage is what holds open your respritory tubes so I'd say slightly movable.
687526
The trachea in reptiles is similar to that of higher vertebrates, with well-developed hyaline rings.  However, there is no mucociliary transport mechanism to aid the removal of foreign substances from the respiratory tract.  Furthermore, the absence of a diaphragm prevents the animal from coughing. \n\nThe lungs are similar to the avian-type system with a series of reticulated open-ended sacs and many capillaries in close proximity.  The cranial part of the reptile lung is the gaseous exchange portion, while the caudal part functions as an air sac.  The latter may act as a reserve of air during periods of apnoea. \n\nAlveolar macrophages are present in the reptilian lung, but may display poor bacterial removal if the animal is being kept below its optimal temperature. \n\nIn snakes, the right lung is larger than the left, and generally stretches from the heart to the kidney.  It may extend even further down to the cloaca in some aquatic snakes.  Some snakes have a tracheal lung on the dorsal aspect of the trachea, which enables the snake to breathe when the main lung is compressed by swallowed prey.