Dysphagia
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The aim of this study was to evaluate leakage of liquids, i.e., water and saliva, past low-pressure cuffs of tracheostomy tubes. Three different types of tracheostomy tubes, TRACOE vario (TRACOE Medical GmbH, Germany), Rüsch Ultra-Tracheoflex (Rüsch GmbH, Germany), and Portex Blue Line Ultra (Smiths Medical, UK) were tested in isolated pig tracheas. Sixty samples (10 tubes each of 7- and 8-mm inner diameter of each type) were used. ⋯ Leakage after treatment with water or artificial saliva is higher without artificial ventilation than with ventilation. The amount of leakage among the tubes with respect to manufacturer showed statistically significant results. However, there were no differences among tracheostomy tubes with respect to internal diameter.