Relationship between leaky pressure and reintubation.

Leaky pressure is a pressure at which the intrapulmonary air leaked around the space between endotracheal tube (after the release of endotracheal cuff) and upper airway, during the positive pressure ventilation. If this space is narrow or obliterated from oedema of the airway, and in order to evaluate this situation, one has to apply higher pressure to make a leakage. Such pressure can reflex higher risk for airway obstruction after extubation. One hundred cases in surgical intensive care unit who were intubated over 24 hours, twenty of them had leaky pressure over 40 cmH2O (group I). Six of the patients in group I had to be reintubated due to upper airway obstruction. But in group II whose leaky pressure less than 40 cmH2O, only two of twenty patients had to be reintaubated. There fore the leaky pressure of more thean 40 cmH2O indicates more higher risk for reintubation (P<0.001).