Reply to the Comment on the Article “Simple Maneuver to Tide Over the Crisis Due to
Intraoperative Malfunctioning of a Pilot Balloon”
We read the article by Dhanda et al[1] and would like to congratulate the authors for management of an unforeseen complication
intraoperatively. However, we would like to submit that the authors’ contention of
this being a modified/novel technique is misplaced.
Inserting an intravenous cannula sheath into a severed inflation line of an endotracheal
tube/tracheostomy tube and then attaching a three-way distal to it has been described
previously on many occasions. Watson et al had described the same technique back in
1989.[2]
Gupta et al make a mention of this precise method in their article in 2010.[3] Also, Rao et al in an article in 2014 have described precisely the same technique.[4]
We believe that authors demonstrated a novel application (in a prone patient) of an
already described technique rather than demonstrating a novel technique. That being
said, they must be commended for their presence of mind and for reminding the readers
of a simple method to “tide over” a potentially dangerous intraoperative situation.
Note
The authors submit that they are satisfied with the response and clarifications given
by the authors of the said article and thank them for replying to the questions raised
by us.
