• Angela Briganti, Diego A Portela, Giovanni Barsotti, Marta Romano, and Gloria Breghi.
• Department of Veterinary Clinics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. abriganti@vet.unipi.it
• Vet Anaesth Analg. 2012 Sep 1;39(5):488-94.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the endotracheal tube cuff pressure achieved by four different inflation methods.Study DesignProspective clinical study.AnimalsEighty client owned dogs.MethodsAfter anaesthesia induction, endotracheal intubation was performed using plastic or silicone tubes. A clinician unaware of tube type inflated the cuff by simple digital palpation (method A), thereafter the cuff was deflated and inflated again by a second clinician who tried to reproduce a previously learned cuff pressure of between 19 and 24 mmHg (method B). During method C the cuff was inflated to the minimum occlusive volume at an airway pressure of 20 cm H(2) O, and in method D the cuff was incrementally deflated until an audible air leak could be heard from the oral cavity at an airway pressure of 25 cm H(2) O. For all the methods, an operator recorded the actual cuff pressure obtained using a manometer. Heart rate, respiratory rate and mean arterial pressure were monitored throughout the procedure.ResultsThe mean inflation pressure for plastic tubes was 56 ± 28 mmHg for method A, 20 ± 9 mmHg for method B, 35 ± 32 mmHg for method C and 46 ± 39 mmHg for method D. Pressures using silicone tubes were significantly higher than for plastic tubes, the mean registered pressures being 79 ± 39, 33 ± 16, 77 ± 50 and 92 ± 56 mmHg for methods A, B, C and D.Conclusions And Clinical RelevanceNone of the methods evaluated in this study can be considered effective for inflating the endotracheal tube cuff to within the optimal range when using silicone tubes. Direct measurement of the cuff pressure with a manometer is therefore recommended.© 2012 The Authors. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. © 2012 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists.

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