The effect of nasal tube stabilization on pressure between tube and nose: A prospective, randomized controlled trial

This clinical trial was performed to evaluate the effect of nasal tube stabilization (NTS) on the pressure between tube and nose (PTN) in both supine and neck extension positions.

This prospective randomized controlled trial recruited 24 American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II adult patients who underwent oral and maxillofacial surgeries requiring nasotracheal intubation. Patients were randomly assigned to intubate with either wire-reinforced or RAE (Ring-Adair-Elwyn) tube. A thin-film pressure sensor was used to measure PTN before and after NTS in both supine and neck extension positions. Statistical analysis was performed with the GraphPad Prism 9.0 software package.

The PTN of wire-reinforced tubes was 51 mmHg higher than that of RAE tubes in supine position before NTS (P = .005). In the wire-reinforced tube group before NTS, neck extension position increased the PTN compared with supine position (P = .0005). After NTS, the PTN in supine and neck extension positions was comparable (P = .1514). NTS significantly reduced PTN in both supine (P = .0005) and extension positions (P = .0005). In the RAE tube group, the PTN in supine and neck extension positions was comparable, either before (P = .3394) or after NTS (P = .7910). NTS also significantly reduced PTN in both supine (P = .0005) and extension positions (P = .0005).

NTS effectively reduced the PTN of both wire-reinforced and RAE tubes, regardless of the supine or neck extension position. RAE tubes also significantly reduced the PTN compared with wire-reinforced tubes.