Airway complaints and laryngeal pathology after intubation with an anatomically shaped endotracheal tube.

In a group of 100 patients intubated with standard polyvinyl chloride (PVC) endotracheal tubes, 26 spontaneously complained of airway discomfort postoperatively. A further 55 patients complained of airway discomfort upon direct questioning. In a comparison group of 100 patients intubated with PVC orotracheal tubes shaped to conform with the anatomy of the airway, the corresponding figures were 14 and 21. Laryngoscopy before and 5 days after intubation revealed that among patients intubated with standard tubes there was a significantly higher frequency of mucosal lesions at the cricoid plate and at the posterior commissure of the larynx, but lesions at the medial side of the arytenoids occurred to approximately the same extent in the two groups.