"Cuffed Versus Uncuffed Tracheal Tubes in Small Children"

Launched by UNIVERSITY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, ZURICH · Sep 13, 2005

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The use of cuffed tracheal tubes is a controversial topic in paediatric anaesthesia and intensive care medicine. Cuffed tubes have traditionally been recommended for children older than 8 to 10 years. During the past decade, however, several authors have argued for the use of cuffed tracheal tubes in younger children and infants. A frequently cited argument against their use is the fear from post-extubation morbidity, allegedly caused by cuff induced tracheal and laryngeal airway injury. Using modern improved designed cuffed tracheal tubes, data from randomised prospective studies, performe...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Children aged from birth (weighing \> 3 kg) to \<5 years
• • Children requiring oro-tracheal or naso-tracheal intubation with a Magil shaped tracheal tube or preformed (RAE) tracheal tube as a part of their anaesthetic care and planed IPPV during the surgical / interventional / diagnostic procedure
• • Tracheal intubation performed using direct laryngoscopy
• • Extubation after the procedure in the OR theatre
• • Procedure performed in supine position
• • Patients for elective and emergency surgery and/or interventions if there is no risk for regurgitation or pulmonary aspiration
• • ASA I and II patients
• • Written parental consent
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • No parental written consent obtained
• • Known airway anomalies (airway stenosis, including Down's Syndrome)
• • Known or suspected difficult intubation
• • Known need for abnormal tube size
• • Full stomach and/or at risk for regurgitation
• • Surgery of the larynx and/or of the trachea and/or neck and/or upper oesophagus
• • Pulmonary diseases (concurrent pneumonia or bronchial infection, asthma requiring inhalation medication, pulmonary malformations)
• • ASA class III and higher
• • Fiberoptic intubation or alternative intubation technique
• • Patients planned for postoperative ventilation in the ICU
• • Weight and/or height percentiles \< 3% / \> 97%