The insecure airway: a comparison of knots and commercial devices for securing endotracheal tubes

BACKGROUND: Endotracheal Tubes (ETTs) are commonly secured using adhesive tape, cloth tape, or commercial devices. The objectives of the study were (1) To compare degrees of movement of ETTs secured with 6 different commercial devices and (2) To compare movement of ETTs secured with cloth tape tied with 3 different knots (hitches). METHODS: A 17 cm diameter PVC tube with 14 mm "mouth" hole in the side served as a mannequin. ETTs were subjected to repeated jerks, using a cable and pulley system. Measurements: (1) Total movement of ETTs relative to "mouth" (measure used for devices) (2) Slippage of ETT through securing knot (measure used for knots). RESULTS: Among commercial devices, the Dale(® )showed less movement than other devices, although some differences between devices did not reach significance. Among knots, Magnus and Clove Hitches produced less slippage than the Cow Hitch, but these differences did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Among devices tested, the Dale(® )was most secure. Within the scope offered by the small sample sizes, there were no statistically significant differences between the knots in this study

Linear Correlation of Endotracheal Tube Cuff Pressure and Volume

Objectives: Endotracheal tube cuff (ETTc) inflation by standard methods may result in excessive ETTc pressure. Previous studies have indicated that methods of cuff inflation most frequently used to inflate ETTcs include palpation of the tension in the pilot balloon or injection of a predetermined volume of air to inflate the pilot balloon. If a logarithmic relationship exists between ETTc volume and ETTc pressure, small volumes of additional air will result in dramatic pressure increases after a volume threshold is reached. Our goal was to determine whether the relationship between ETTc volume and ETTc pressure is linear or non-linear.Methods: In this Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee-approved study, we recorded ETTc volume and pressure in four anesthetized and mechanically-ventilated canines ranging between 30-40 pounds (mean 34.7lb, SD 3.8lb) that were endotracheally intubated with a 7.0 mm ETT. The varying cuff pressures associated with a distribution of 28 progressively increasing volumes of air in the ETTc were recorded. Spearman correlation was performed to determine if a linear or non-linear relationship existed between these variables.Results: The Spearman rho coefficient of correlation between ETTc volume and ETTc pressure was 0.969, or approximately 97%, suggesting near-perfect linear relationship between ETTc volume and ETTc pressure over the range of volumes and pressures tested.Conclusions: Over the range of volumes and pressures tested a linear relationship between volume and pressure results in no precipitous increase in slope of the pressure:volume curve as volume increases.[WestJEM. 2009;10:137-139.