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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Continuous Telemetric In Utero Tracheal Pressure Measurements in Fetal Lambs
Published on: December 22, 2023
Outer diameter and shape of paediatric tracheal tube cuffs at higher inflation pressures
V Bernet1, A Dullenkopf, P Maino
1Department of Neonatology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Cuffed tracheal tubes are becoming increasingly popular in paediatric anaesthesia and intensive care medicine. To avoid cuff related complications and airway morbidity, a thorough understanding of cuff volume/pressure behaviour and management is required. In this study, the outer cuff diameter and form stability of the cuff at high cuff pressure were assessed in a series of different paediatric cuffed tracheal tubes with internal diameter of between 3.0 and 5.0 mm. The main findings were that small amounts of inflated air led to a rapid increase in cuff pressure and volume and that the outer cuff diameters increased to 2-2.5 times the age-corresponding internal tracheal diameter following inadvertent syringe inflation. Careful cuff inflation under cuff pressure monitoring and/or automatic cuff pressure release is recommended in paediatric tracheal tube cuffs to prevent airway damage caused by manual inflation, pilot balloon compression and nitrous oxide diffusion.
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