A Comparative Study of 2 Agents, Air and Distilled Water for Inflation of the Cuffs of Endotracheal Tubes During Laparoscopic Surgical Procedures Under General Anaesthesia (original) (raw)

BACKGROUND & AIM During Nitrous Oxide+ Oxygen anaesthesia and during laparoscopic surgeries using carbon dioxide for creating pneumoperitoneum, if cuff of endotracheal tube is inflated with air, cuff pressure can rise to dangerous limits and it can produce ischemia of tracheal mucosa. Hence distilled water as an alternative agent to air for inflation of cuffs of endotracheal tubes was used for our study. Our aim is to investigate the difference in increase of intra-cuff pressure with time during laparoscopic surgical procedures under general endotracheal anaesthesia with Nitrous oxide+ Oxygen+ relaxant technique when cuffs of endotracheal tube were inflated by air & distilled water. METHODS Fifty patients (n=50) undergoing different laparoscopic surgical procedures under general endotracheal anaesthesia were randomly divided into 2 groups. In group A, air was used & in group D, distilled water was used to inflate the cuffs of endotracheal tubes. General anaesthesia was given with Nitrous oxide+ Oxygen+ relaxant technique. The intra-cuff pressures of endotracheal tube cuffs were recorded in the beginning and at the end of laparoscopic surgical procedures. Increase of pressures with time were recorded and analysed.