ENDOTRACHEAL CUFF AND TECHNIQUE FOR USING THE SAME

摘要

An inflatable balloon cuff 12 with a water-swellable coating 14 may be adapted to seal a patient's trachea when associated with an endotracheal tube 16. The water-swellable coating 14 may enhance a cuff's mechanical pressure seal. The water-swellable coating 14 may be loosely adhered or not adhered to the cuff12 in order to allow the coating 14 to flow into and seal any leak paths that may form when the cuff 12 is inflated in a patient's trachea.