Tracheal Tube Cuff Pressures in Air Transport Patients

Complications of tracheal cuff overinflation occur after both long-term and short-term intubation, although the latter is less well recognized. Emergency and critically ill patients are often subjected to cuff pressures that remain unmeasured for hours. Air medical transport, during which cuff pressure increases due to decreased ambient pressure, may exacerbate cuff pressure problems. To assess the incidence of elevated cuff pressure (defined as ≥30 cm H₂O) and factors associated with it in emergency and critically ill patients, researchers studied 101 intubated patients scheduled for air medical transport during a 1-year period in Switzerland.

Sixty-three patients underwent emergency transfer, and 38 were transported from an intensive care …