Measuring Endotracheal Tube Depth by Bedside Ultrasound in Adult Patients in an Intensive Care Unit: A Pilot Study

Publication date: Available online 17 March 2017
Source:Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology
Author(s): Fenglin Dong, Canhong Zhu, Huiwen Xu, Jiajia Wang, Yehan Zhu, Qingmin Fan, Jian'an Huang, Wei Lei
The aim of the study described here was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of measuring endotracheal tube (ETT) depth with ultrasound in adult patients in an intensive care unit (ICU). The distance between the upper margin of the cuff and the upper margin of the aortic arch (Duc-ua) of 67 ICU patients was measured by ultrasound, and the time of measurement was recorded. The level of agreement between the distance between the tip of the ETT and the carina (Dtt-c) measured by ultrasound (U-Dtt-c) and Dtt-c measured by bronchoscopy (B-Dtt-c) was assessed using linear regression and a Bland–Altman plot. There was a significant correlation between B-Dtt-c and U-Dtt-c (r = 0.844, p < 0.001). Also, the Bland–Altman plot revealed strong agreement between B-Dtt-c and U-Dtt-c. The time it took to measure ETT depth by ultrasound was 33.91 ± 5.43 s. In conclusion, bedside ultrasound provides a novel and convenient method for measuring the depth of ETT in ICU patients.



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