Ventilator Y-piece pressure compared with intratracheal airway pressure in healthy intubated children.

Objective: Compare airway pressure measurements at the ventilator Y-piece of the breathing circuit (P( Y )) to intratracheal pressure measured at the distal end (P( T )) of the endotracheal tube (ETT) during mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing of intubated children.

Methods: Thirty children (age range 29 days to 5 years) receiving general anesthesia were intubated with an ETT incorporating a lumen embedded in its sidewall that opened at the distal end to measure P( T ). Peak inflation pressure (PIP) was measured at P( Y ) and P( T ) during positive pressure ventilation.