Sole, Mary Lou, Aragon, Daleen, Bennett, Melody, Johnson, Randall L.
funding text
The studies described in the article were supported from unrestricted grants from Winter Park Health Foundation (phases 1 and 2), the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Philips Outcome Grant (phases 3 and 4), and the National Institute for Nursing Research 1R21NR010262-01 (phase 5). Monitor loan was provided by Philips Medical Systems. The work was performed at College of Nursing at University of Central Florida and Orlando Regional Medical Center.
abstract
Continuous monitoring and download of endotracheal tube cuff pressure for a 12-hour period were required to collect data for an ongoing program of research related to airway management of the critically ill patient. On the basis of reports from the anesthesia literature, continuous monitoring of cuff pressure via a traditional pressure transducer and monitor was identified as the best method to collect data. Although continuous pressure monitoring of many physiologic variables is routine in critical care settings, application of the technology to measurement of endotracheal tube cuff pressure has not been reported outside the operating room. The research team conducted bench testing and pilot testing in human subjects to establish feasibility, accuracy, and safety of continuous cuff pressure monitoring. Monitoring was feasible with stringent procedures applied to ensure safety. A bias of 0.5 cm H2O between continuous and intermittent measures was obtained in both in vitro and in vivo testing.