Heart & lung : the journal of critical care
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
The role of the endotracheal tube cuff in microaspiration.
The cuff of the endotracheal tube (ETT) is designed to provide a seal within the airway, allowing airflow through the ETT but preventing passage of air or fluids around the ETT. Deliberate or inadvertent movement of the ETT may affect cuff pressure or shift folds in the cuff, mobilizing pooled secretions. ⋯ These complications are costly in terms of morbidity and mortality, as well as hospital expense. We will discuss the role of the ETT cuff in microaspiration and identify potential directions for future research to improve outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Inexperienced nurses and doctors are equally efficient in managing the airway in a manikin model.
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether minimally trained medical and nursing school graduates would be equally efficient in placing a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) and in intubating the trachea with the Macintosh blade or a videolaryngoscope in a manikin model. Airway management is an essential skill for both physicians and nurses who may be confronted with a critically ill patient, because in the emergency department the airway is not exclusively managed by medical personnel. Several studies have shown that other healthcare professionals are not any less efficient in securing the airway. ⋯ Nurses are as efficient as physicians in managing the airway safely and adequately with the 3 different techniques in manikins.