Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Endotracheal Intubation of Rabbits Using a Polypropylene Guide Catheter
05:46

Endotracheal Intubation of Rabbits Using a Polypropylene Guide Catheter

Published on: November 13, 2017

35.0K

Uncuffed Endotracheal Tubes: Not Appropriate for Pediatric Critical Care Transport

Thomas E Pearson1, Meg A Frizzola2, Henry H Khine3

  • 1Department of Nursing, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE.

Air Medical Journal
|February 4, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Using uncuffed endotracheal tubes in critically ill children during transport often leads to complications. Many require urgent replacement with cuffed tubes after arrival at a pediatric intensive care unit.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
  • Transport Medicine
  • Airway Management

Background:

  • The use of uncuffed endotracheal tubes in pediatric critical care transport lacks assessment.
  • Complications may necessitate tube replacement upon arrival at a tertiary facility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the incidence of complications associated with uncuffed endotracheal tubes in interfacility pediatric critical care transport.
  • To determine the need for urgent reintubation after transport.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective case review of intubated pediatric patients transported over three years.
  • Analysis of urgent reintubation rates for uncuffed versus cuffed endotracheal tubes.

Main Results:

  • 55 of 213 intubated patients (25.8%) used uncuffed endotracheal tubes.
  • 24 patients (43.6% of uncuffed group) required urgent tube replacement due to ventilation issues.
  • No cuffed endotracheal tubes required replacement.

Conclusions:

  • Uncuffed endotracheal tubes in critically ill children undergoing interfacility transport lead to a significant rate of urgent replacement.
  • Repeat laryngoscopy and associated risks are common when uncuffed tubes are used prior to tertiary pediatric care.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Blind Endotracheal Intubation in Neonatal Rabbits04:04

Blind Endotracheal Intubation in Neonatal Rabbits

Published on: February 26, 2021

6.0K
Author Spotlight: Simulating Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Using a Neonatal Piglet Model04:55

Author Spotlight: Simulating Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Using a Neonatal Piglet Model

Published on: May 26, 2023

1.4K

Related Concept Videos

Endotracheal Tube Extubation01:24

Endotracheal Tube Extubation

Endotracheal tube extubation is a critical procedure in weaning patients from mechanical ventilation. It involves physically removing the oral or nasal endotracheal (ET) tube, marking the final step in liberating a patient from ventilatory support.
Procedure
Extubation removes the endotracheal tube (ETT) from the patient on mechanical ventilation. It requires a well-coordinated, multidisciplinary approach involving physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other healthcare professionals....
4.1K
Endotracheal Intubation II: Nursing Management01:17

Endotracheal Intubation II: Nursing Management

Endotracheal intubation is a critical procedure that can be lifesaving for many patients with respiratory distress or failure. The role of nursing in managing endotracheal tubes is pivotal, as it involves pre-intubation preparation, assisting during the procedure, and post-extubation care.
1. Nursing Care of Patients Before Intubation
Before the endotracheal intubation procedure, nurses play an essential role in ensuring the process goes smoothly. The nurses must be familiar with intubation...
2.6K
Critical Region, Critical Values and Significance Level01:16

Critical Region, Critical Values and Significance Level

The critical region, critical value, and significance level are interdependent concepts crucial in hypothesis testing.
In hypothesis testing, a sample statistic is converted to a test statistic using z, t, or chi-square distribution. A critical region is an area under the curve in  probability distributions demarcated by the critical value. When the test statistic falls in this region, it suggests that the null hypothesis must be rejected. As this region contains all those values of the...
13.4K
Critical Values01:31

Critical Values

A critical value is a definite value obtained from a particular probability distribution at a predecided confidence level (or a predecided significance level) for a given population parameter. The critical value provides demarcation that separates the sample statistics that are likely to occur from the ones that are unlikely to occur based on the given probability distribution and the population parameter to be estimated. The critical value for normal distribution is obtained from the z...
10.3K
Endotracheal Intubation I: Procedure01:15

Endotracheal Intubation I: Procedure

Endotracheal or ET intubation is a critical medical procedure used to secure a patient's airway, often in acute respiratory distress, apnea, upper airway obstruction, ineffective clearance of secretions, high risk for aspiration, or during general anesthesia.
The ET tube comprises various components, including a standard adaptor to attach a bag-valve-mask (BVM) or ventilator, a cuff, a pilot balloon, and radiopaque markings along its length to measure the insertion distance. The tube sizes...
8.2K
Facilitated Transport01:19

Facilitated Transport

The chemical and physical properties of plasma membranes cause them to be selectively permeable. Since plasma membranes have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, substances need to be able to transverse both regions. The hydrophobic area of membranes repels substances such as charged ions. Therefore, such substances need special membrane proteins to cross a membrane successfully. In  facilitated transport, also known as facilitated diffusion, molecules and ions travel across a...
147.8K