The investigation of initial endotracheal tube cuff pressures in the operating room: a multi-center cross-sectional study in China.

ABSTRACT: Cuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) are widely used in general anesthesia, with recommended cuff pressure (CP) between 20 and 30 cmH₂O in adults. This multi-center study investigated actual CP management practices across 19 Grade A tertiary hospitals in China, involving 2058 anesthetized patients. The median initial CP measured within 30 min post-intubation was 48 cmH₂O (IQR 32-70), with only 19% within the recommended range (75.4% > 30 cmH₂O; 5.6% < 20 cmH₂O). All institutions demonstrated similarly suboptimal CP management. Four distinct methods were used for cuff pressure estimation: pilot balloon palpation (96.2%), fixed-volume inflation (2.8%), minimal occlusive volume technique (0.7%), and direct manometry (0.2%). Among them, only direct manom

SUBMITTER: Peng H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12916846 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature