Anesthesia apparatus: Cuff Mate-2, endotracheal cuff inflator and pressure monitor

A digital endotracheal cuff inflator and pressure monitor were tested under clinical conditions on 150 patients in the intensive care.

Patients were either intubated with endotracheal tubes or had tracheostomies, and were spontaneously breathing or artificially ventilated. Patients were divided into three groups. Group A had the endotracheal tube or tracheostomy cuff inflated randomly by a syringe and tested later by the Cuff Mate. Group B had the cuffs inflated by a syringe till air leak just disappeared on a hand-bagged positive pressure inspiration. Group C had the cuff inflated by the Cuff Mate till air leak just disappeared on a hand bagged positive pressure inspiration. In all three groups, cuff pressure measurement and inflation were done using the Cuff Mate.

Higher mean tracheal cuff pressures were recorded in Group A, in comparison with the other two groups, while smaller differences were observed between Group B and C.

Using the Cuff Mate to inflate cuffs till no air leak, in addition to simultaneous monitoring of the cuff pressure to prevent excessive cuff pressure, decreases the ischemic damage that is caused by overinflated cuffs. Cuff pressures should be kept below that causing obstruction to the tracheal mucosal blood flow so as to avoid prolonged overinflated cuffs in intensive care patients.