Disposable Airway Pressure Manometers for Endotracheal Tube Cuff Inflation.

This study aimed to assess the performance, accuracy, precision and repeatability of two single-use airway pressure manometers as a cost-effective alternative for inflation of endotracheal tubes with high-volume, low-pressure cuffs. The manometers were tested in a bench top model against a U-tube manometer. Eighteen units of each device were tested. Three consecutive measurements were performed at pressures of 20, 25 and 30 cmHO each. The mean ± SD of the recorded pressures and maximum deviation from the target pressures were calculated for each device and each target pressure. For device A, the mean ± SD pressures were 19.6 ± 0.7, 23.6 ± 0.8 and 28.3 ± 0.8 cmHO; for device B, the mean ± SD pressures were 19.3 ± 0.6, 24.3 ± 0.9 and 29.2 ± 0.67 cmHO for target pressures of 20, 25 and 30 cmHO, respectively. The bias for device A was -0.4, -1.4, and -1.7 cmHO and for device B, -0.7, -0.7, and -0.8 cmHO for target pressures of 20, 25, and 30 cmHO, respectively. Both devices showed results comparable to those reported for commercial cuff manometers. They represent inexpensive tools that provide clinically sufficient accuracy, precision and repeatability for ETT cuff inflation between pressures of 20 and 30 cmHO.