• Theodor Kolobow, Massimo Cressoni, Myra Epp, Ivan Corti, Paolo Cadringher, and Alberto Zanella.
• Section of Pulmonary and Cardiac Assist Devices, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
• Resp Care. 2011 Aug 1;56(8):1095-9.

BackgroundA high-volume low-pressure endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff forms folds along its contact with the trachea, allowing mucus leakage into the lungs. We developed a thin-walled ETT cuff made of Lycra polyurethane.MethodsIn vitro, we tested 6 of each of the new prototype Lycra cuff, the Mallinkrodt Hi-Lo ETT (polyvinyl chloride cuff), and the Kimberly-Clark Microcuff ETT (polyurethane cuff), for leakage, in an acrylic mock trachea (inner diameter 20-mm), with a cuff inflation pressure of 20 cm H(2)O. We poured 15 mL of methylene-blue colored water into the acrylic tube above the cuff and observed for leakage for 24 hours.ResultsThe Lycra cuffs had no folds upon inflation in the mock trachea and completely prevented fluid leakage for 24 hours (P < .001 vs the Hi-Lo and the Microcuff). The average leakage past the Hi-Lo was 1,182 ± 1,321 mL/h. The average leakage past the Microcuff was 1.2 ± 0.4 mL/h (P < .001 vs the Hi-Lo).ConclusionsOur Lycra cuff provided complete tracheal sealing in vitro.

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