cody6268 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:25 am
The purpose is medical. The blade is specially shaped for cutting an incision into the trachea, and the round piece is to be used as a breathing tube once inserted into the incision. But, I would say it could possibly be used as a guide to insert an endotracheal tube. The whole package is stainless steel as to be autoclavable for cleaning. Basically, it's a tracheotomy knife, made for doctors to carry as a "just in case" kind of thing. I think drug companies gave them out in the 1980s and 1990s.
The steel tube is far to narrow to insert an endotracheal tube through it. The tube is also rather short. If you managed to get it into the windpipe, the knife handle would need to be pressed and held against the neck. Note: patients with an obstructed airway, if not already dead, are fighting for their life, struggling to breath with the trachea being tugged down with every attempt to breath in and the respiratory rate can be 80-90 per minute. It is a very challenging situation even for an experienced Ear, Nose & Throat surgeon. (otolaryngologist)
This multitool is too small for these conditions.
The only possible way it could help is if you did manage to get this 'pipe' into the trachea, you could then insert a guide wire through it, remove the 'pipe' and pass an endotracheal tube over the guide wire down into the trachea and then remove the guide wire.
But if you have a guide wire and endotracheal tube then you have emergency supplies with you and will have better tools than a pocket knife.
Knife history and knife lore is full of misinformation. Someone says or now posts, "i think company "X" made your knife" and the next person says "i heard that knife was made by company "X" and soon others will say, "that knife was made by company "X" ".
Maybe someone did design this knife with an emergency tracheotomy in mind but if so it is a poor design and i doubt it has ever been used successfully by anyone for this purpose.
I think it is more likely for some other use, possibly veterinary, but i don't know any veterinary medicine to suggest what.
Would be great to find the original advertising associated with this knife because this would give us the answer as to intended use.
kj