Relationship between inspiratory oxygen fraction and temperature in mechanically ventilated patients with endotracheal tube cuff pressure

Endotracheal intubation is a procedure that normally used in the intensive care and emergency units by physicians, nurses and health care team. Various factors, including positive pressure ventilation, intubation time, position of head relative to body, body temperature, body movement, and gas emission can change the amount of cuff pressure but in fact there is no scientific evidence to indicate the efficient program to control these factors for patient who receives mechanical ventilation. Therefore, present study was conducted to determine the effect of inspiratory oxygen fraction as well as body temperature on the endotracheal tube cuff pressure in this group of patients. Seventy patients that were randomly selected from the hospital belong to Mashhad university medical sciences, participated in this correlation study. Endotracheal tube cuff pressure and body temperature measurements were done hourly (per hour) for ten times with standard thermometer and special sphygmomanometer. Recorded data were analyzed in SPSS version 11.5 with using Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient, t- test, Kruskal wallis and Man-Witni test. Results showed that the cuff pressured for 80% of patient were out of standard (30 ml water). There was (p< 0.001), while inspiratory oxygen fraction was not significantly associated with pressure. In addition, no interaction was found between cuff pressure and temperature as well as oxygen fraction. Regarding the fact that the abnormal cuff pressure leads to the patient’s return with complications of intubations the precise and periodical control of cuff pressure and also it’s impressive variable such as temperature and inspiratory oxygen fraction required to be considered as necessary issues.