Endotracheal tube cuff inflation with and without a pressure gauge to minimise sevoflurane pollution during intermittent positive pressure ventilation

摘要

Possible health hazards from exposure to trace concentrations of inhalational anaesthetics cannot yet be definitively excluded.1 We have previously reported that the concentrations of the commonly used volatile anaesthetic sevoflurane were significantly higher in the proximity of the intubated patient's mouth than in the breathing zone of the surgeon or the far-end corner of the theatre.2 This observation contradicts the core function of the cuff, which is to seal the upper airway. Although previous in-vitro studies highlighted the possibility of fluid microleakage and its dependence on intra-cuff pressure, ' less is known about whether proper inflation influences the per oral escape of sevoflurane.