Endotracheal cuff pressures in the PICU: Incidence of underinflation and overinflation.

Background: While uncuffed endotracheal tubes have been traditionally used in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) population, evidence suggests cuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) are also safe to use within this population. Nevertheless, risks related to the use of cuffed ETTs increase when guidelines for safe and appropriate use are not followed. The primary goal of this study was to measure the cuff pressure (CP) using a cuff pressure manometer in a group of intubated pediatric subjects and determine the rate of cuff underinflation (<20 cm H0) or overinflation (>30 cm H0).