Balloon Palpation vs Loss of Resistance Syringe for Safe Endotracheal Tube Cuff Pressure; a Randomized Clinical Trial

Achieving Recommended Endotracheal Tube Cuff Pressure; A Randomized Control Trial Comparing Loss of Resistance Syringe to Pilot Balloon Palpation.

This study is aimed at establishing whether use of loss of resistance syringe (LOR) that is traditionally used for identifying epidural space, is a better method for providing safe cuff pressures in adults intubated with cuffed endotracheal tubes. The conventional method is the use of pilot ballon palpation (PBP) to approximate cuff pressures but this is associated with airway damage.

The study hypothesis states that both the loss of resistance syringe method and the pilot balloon palpation methods achieve the recommended endotracheal tube intracuff pressures.

Inclusion Criteria:

• American society of anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classes I-IV

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known or anticipated laryngo-tracheal abnormalities.
• Patients with cough, sore throat, dysphagia and dysphonia.
• Patients in whom intubation is attempted more than twice