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Tapered Cuff versus Conventional Cuff for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Ventilated Patients: A Meta-Analysis of
Wei Min Huang1, Xu An Huang2, Yan Ping Du3
1Department of Hospital Infection-Control, Xiamen Haicang Hospital, Xiamen, China.
Background:
Microaspiration of secretions around the tracheal cuff is a multifactorial process. Tracheal cuff shape might take a major part in its occurrence. The rationale for producing a taper-shaped cuff is established on the assumption that compared to a conventional cuff with a single fixed diameter, a continuum of minimum-to-maximum diameter sections might better fit the tracheal walls.
Objectives:
The primary objective of this meta-analysis was to compare ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) between tapered-cuff intubation and conventional-cuff intubation. The secondary objective was to compare intensive care unit (ICU) mortality between tapered-cuff intubation and conventional-cuff intubation.
Methods:
We searched the Cochrane Library, Embase, MEDLINE database through the PubMed search engine, and CINAHL from inception to April 2018. Randomized trials comparing VAP and ICU mortality between tapered-cuff intubation and conventional-cuff intubation in intubated adults were included. Two review authors assessed study quality and abstracted databasing on prespecified criteria independently.
Results:
We pooled summary estimates from 5 trials evaluating tapered-cuff involving 774 participants. Compared to VAP, no statistically significant difference was observed between the tapered-cuff and conventional-cuff groups (OR 0.82, CI 0.61-1.12, z = 1.24, and p=0.21). No statistically significant difference was observed between the tapered-cuff and conventional-cuff groups with ICU mortality (OR 0.77, CI 0.55-1.08, z = 1.49, and p=0.14).
Conclusions:
In this meta-analysis, the tapered-cuff tracheal tube may not be superior to the standard-cuff tracheal tube in reducing VAP and ICU mortality.
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