Compliance characteristics of the Porter Soft Seal cuff improves seal against leakage of fluid in a pig trachea model

Background: The Porter Soft Seal high-volume, low-pressure cuffed tracheal tube was compared with the Mallinckrodt HiLo, Sheridan Preformed and Porter Profile tracheal tubes for leakage of dye placed in the subglottic space o f a pig's trachea which was used in a benchtop mechanical ventilation model and in six isolated pig tracheas. Results: There was no leakage, either in the ventilation model or in the is olated tracheas in the Porter Soft Seal group, There was rapid leakage in t he ventilation model and in all the isolated tracheas for the Mallinckrodt HiLo, and five out of six isolated tracheas for the Sheridan Preformed and the Porter Profile group. Conclusions: This benchtop study suggests that the improved compliance char acteristics of the Porter Soft Seal cuff are beneficial in preventing leaka ge of fluid in these models.