Clinical experience with the silicone tracheal cannula in obstructive sleep apnea.

The surgical and postoperative course was evaluated in 20 patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea who underwent tracheostomy in which a silicone tracheal cannula was used. The cannula has been introduced recently by Dr. William Montgomery for use in a variety of clinical settings. Our findings indicate that the silicone tracheal cannula is a simple and reliable method of maintaining the tracheal airway in patients with severe sleep apnea. There were infrequent complications and a high degree of patient acceptance with this surgical procedure. Advantages of the silicone tracheal cannula include ease of insertion (especially in the often obese neck of the patient with sleep apnea), the inconspicuous nature of the cannula itself, the ease of care, and the maintenance of speech. Thus our clinical experience with this new tracheal cannula in the treatment of certain types of sleep-related breathing disorders indicates that it has a number of advantages as well as infrequent complications.