Resp Care
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Comparative Study
Comparison of a novel lycra endotracheal tube cuff to standard polyvinyl chloride cuff and polyurethane cuff for fluid leak prevention.
A high-volume low-pressure endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff forms folds along its contact with the trachea, allowing mucus leakage into the lungs. We developed a thin-walled ETT cuff made of Lycra polyurethane. ⋯ Our Lycra cuff provided complete tracheal sealing in vitro.
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Comparative Study
Multi-wavelength pulse oximeter is not suitable for adjusting D(LCO) measurements.
Diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (D(LCO)) can be affected by abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) or carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels. Predicted D(LCO) can be adjusted to reflect abnormal Hb or COHb levels. Until recently, blood sampling was required to determine Hb and COHb levels, but a new pulse oximeter, the Masimo RAD-57, can measure Hb and COHb noninvasively. We hypothesized that there would be no significant difference between the invasive and noninvasive Hb and COHb measurements for adjusting D(LCO). ⋯ Pulse oximetry may be of limited usefulness for adjusting either predicted or measured D(LCO) values, but might be useful to screen patients for invasive testing, particularly if the D(LCO) is close to the lower limit of normal.