Endotracheal tube cuff pressures in adult patients undergoing general anaesthesia in two Johannesburg academic hospitals

Abstract

Background: Endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressure commonly exceeds the recommended range of 20–30 cm H₂O during anaesthesia. A set volume of air will not deliver the same cuff pressure in each patient and the pressure exerted by the ETT cuff can lead to complications, with either over- or under-inflated cuffs. These can include a sore throat and cough, aspiration, volume loss during positive pressure ventilation, nerve palsies, tracheomalacia and tracheal stenosis. No objective means of ETT cuff pressure monitoring is available in the operating theatres of Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH). The ETT cuff pressure of patients undergoing general anaesthesia is therefore unknown.