Effect of body position and head of bed angle on intra-abdominal and endotracheal tube cuff pressure in mechanically ventilated patients

Abstract

Introduction: Changing position is one of the typical nursing care in intensive care units. This study aimed to investigate the effect of body positioning on intra-abdominal pressure and endotracheal tube cuff pressure and their relationship with each other in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation Materials and Methods: This was a before-after clinical trial study performed on 70 patients over eight months. Eligible patients were placed in one of the positions of bed angle (flat, 30, and 45 degrees) and body position sideways toward an opposite direction to the mechanical ventilator. The intra-abdominal pressure and the endotracheal tube cuff pressure were measured with each change in body position and head of the bed. Data were analyzed at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Mean intra-abdominal pressure was different in positions (P