The vessels of the rabbit trachea and ischemia caused by cuff pressure

By intraarterial injection of silicone rubber we visualized the main feeding vessels of the rabbit trachea. They originate from the right subclavian artery and supply bilateral longitudinal tracheo-esophageal arteries. These lie in the groove between the trachea and the esophagus, giving off numerous segmental branches to both of these organs. In the trachea these pass submucosally between the tracheal cartilages, feeding a rich capillary network within the mucosa. The membranous part of the trachea is extremely well supplied with vessels, originating in arteries running longitudinally in the space between the trachea and the esophagus. The mucosa contains many sinusoidal ectasias, forming an almost cavernous arrangement in the tracheal wall. It is probable that these vessels are of great importance for the conditioning of inhaled air. Experimental studies on intubated animals have shown that a large-volume tracheal tube cuff, inflated to a pressure of 50 mm Hg, decreases or completely hinders capillary silicone rubber perfusion of the tracheal mucosa.