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Maintenance of tracheal tube cuff pressure: where are the limits?

Miquel Ferrer and Antoni Torres*

Author Affiliations

Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos e Intermedios Respiratorios, Servei de Pneumologia, Institut Clinic del Torax, Hospital Clinic, Institut d'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), CibeRes (ISCiii-CB06/06/0028), Barcelona, Spain

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Critical Care 2008, 12:106 doi:10.1186/cc6194

Published: 16 January 2008

Abstract

Continuous control of tracheal tube cuff inflation using a pneumatic device resulted in severe tracheal wall damage in ventilated piglets. This damage was similar in piglets managed with manual control of cuff inflation. The periodic hyperinflation of the tube cuff used in both groups of this study may explain these results. This manoeuvre should be avoided in clinical practice.