What is ET Tip for Culture Sensitivity - Aerobic?

A culture test is nothing but making a synthetic medium for bacteria to develop and check the growth and also testing with suitable medication to it. ET tip test shortly refers to the Endotracheal tip test.

Patients who undergo open-heart surgery are likely to get respiratory infections. This infection may even end up in ICU. The effective way to test the bacteria and check its sensitivity to the medicine is using the culture test. This test is effective for ventilator-associated pneumonia in neonates. This testing process requires endotracheal aspiration.

Preparation

The Endotracheal tip aspiration process is an In-patient process. The Sputum is collected from the Endotracheal region. The Endotracheal tip method requires sedation to the patients. For this test, fasting is necessary. This test is scheduled for the morning. Sedation becomes ineffective in case of hydration or food intake. It might end up in vomiting. The patient must be put to deep sleep. The previous medication has to be discussed with the physician. Any alcoholic consumption must also be notified to the technician.

Uses

This test is a lifesaver method. Up to 22% of open-heart surgery patients face this issue. It is an effective method to use on them. The medication will be tested on a culture test, so the patient is free from side effects. This method is used to detect Sepsis in neonates.

Procedure

The patient's mouth is wide opened. Saliva is removed from the mouth by means of an oral suction tube. The tongue tip is pressed and the tracheal area is put to visibility. The tracheal tip is inserted along with the tube into the endotracheal area. The tracheal tube has measurements on it. Using the measurement we can estimate the tube has reached the trachea or not. The suction is applied on the other end of the tube so the ET tip can draw out some tracheal fluid. Once enough tracheal tube is drawn out. The sample is sent to the culture and sensitivity test.