Comparison of the intracuff pressures of three different tracheostomy tubes.

The purpose of this study was to compare the cuff pressures of three tracheostomy tubes, MERA sofit CLEAR, Blue Line Tracheostomy Tube, and Tracheosoft. Each tracheostomy tube with an internal diameter of 7.0 mm was put into a plastic column. The cuff was then inflated with air to seal the column, and the column was filled with water. The air in the cuff was withdrawn gradually and the cuff pressure at the point of water leakage was measured. Six columns of different size were used. In columns with an internal diameter of 18-21 mm, the water leakage pressure was lower in the following order: MERA sofit CLEAR < Tracheosoft < or = Blue Line Tracheostomy Tube. A mongrel dog was tracheotomized, and each tracheostomy tube with an internal diameter of 7.5 mm was intubated. The cuff air was increased by 1 ml from 4 ml to 10 ml, and the intracuff pressure was then measured. The intracaff pressure of the Blue Line Tracheostomy Tube was the highest at the same cuff volume, and that of the Tracheosoft was next. Based on these results, the MERA sofit CLEAR was found to maintain most safely the lowest intracuff pressure to seal the trachea among the three tracheostomy tubes tested.