An Investigation of endotracheal Tube cuff Pressure

The objective of this study was to investigate the endotracheal tube cuff (ETT) pressure in the intensive care unit (ICU) patients, who had been intubated. Meterials and All patients were placed in ICU during the last three month 2008. The endotracheal tube cuff (ETT) pressure in 308 cases was measured at twice by an expert. A standard manometer was used to measure the cuff pressure and it was calibrated before and after the measurement. The results show indicated that 50% of cases 1 suffered from brain injuries and 63.6% of them were intubated as a result of brain problem. The value of cuff pressure was not standard in 31 cases at both times. In addition, the cuff pressure in 49% of cases was not standard at first, but after correction it decreased to 18.5%.This emphasizes the effectiveness of having supervision over cuff pressure in acceptable regular intervals by treatment team. It is suggested that along with recording the vital signs of the patieut, ETT cuff pressure beingrecorded at appropriate intervals as well.