European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Maintaining endotracheal tube cuff pressure at 20 mmHg during anterior cervical spine surgery to prevent dysphagia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.
Anterior cervical spine surgery is associated with postoperative dysphagia, sore throat and dysphonia. It is unclear, whether this is caused by increased endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressure after retractor placement. This study aims to assess the effect of ETT cuff pressure adjustment on postoperative dysphagia, sore throat and dysphonia. ⋯ Anterior cervical spine surgery is accompanied by a high incidence of postoperative dysphagia, lasting until at least 2 months after surgery in over a third of our patients. Adjusting ETT cuff pressure to 20 mmHg after retractor placement, as compared to controls, did not lower the risk for both short- and long-term dysphagia. Netherlands National Trial Registry Number: NTR 3542. These slides can be retrieved under electronic supplementary material.