DOUBLE LUMEN TECHNIQUE - ENDOTRACHEAL TUBE GUIDED LEVIN TUBE INSERTION TECHNIQUE.

This described the Double Lumen Technique (DLT) - an endotracheal tube-guided Levin tube insertion technique, which was originally introduced in 1987. It is designed for patients who have repeatedly failed due to kinking of the Levin tube in their oropharyngeal cavity, caused by incooperation of swallowing a Levin tube, particularly in those with stupor or comatose mentality. The main concept of the DLT is to reinforce the flexibility of a Levin tube by inserting it into a more elastic tube, the endotracheal tube (E-tube). The combination of the Levin tube and the E-tube allow it to pass through the oropharyngeal cavity into the esophagus successfully. For stuporous or comatose patients who have repeatedly failed Levin tube insertion, if passage through an oropharyngeal cavity to the esophagus is difficult, the novel technique, DLT, may be a worthwhile option to try at the bedside.