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Pressures within air‐filled tracheal cuffs at altitude – an in vivo study
Author(s) -
Henning J.,
Sharley P.,
Young R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2004.03609.x
Subject(s) - cuff , medicine , tracheal tube , anesthesia , critically ill , surgery , intubation
Summary Aeromedical transport of mechanically ventilated critically ill patients is now a frequent occurrence. However, the performance of the air filled tracheal tube cuff at altitude has not been studied in vivo . We measured the tracheal cuff pressures at ground level and at 3000 ft, in 10 intubated patients. With air providing the seal in the cuff the mean rise in cuff pressure was 23 cmH 2 O, which took the pressures above the critical perfusion pressure of the tracheal mucosa. This could lead to tracheal injury.