Various embodiments of a tracheal tube having a sensor disposed on a non-sealing portion of a cuff are provided. Certain embodiments of the tracheal tube may be capable of deploying the sensor during intubation to sense one or more indicators of blood flow characteristics, such as a level of blood gases and/or blood analytes, in the respiratory tract. The sensor on the cuff may be configured to deploy upon inflation of the cuff and to return to its predeployment position upon deflation of the cuff. The sensor may be further adapted to abut the tracheal mucosa of a patient or not contact the tracheal wall at all during deployment.
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