Inclusion criteria |
 • Experimental and clinical studies |
 • Intervention arm with high-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) polyurethane (PU)-cuffed endotracheal tube |
 • Control group with HVLP conventional polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-cuffed endotracheal tube |
 • Studies evaluating either fluid leakage or intubation-related respiratory infection (early-postoperative pneumonia, ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis, ventilator-associated pneumonia) |
 • Article written in English or Dutch |
Exclusion criteria |
 • Descriptive studies |
 • Studies without a control group |
 • Evidence of confounders in one of the study arms, such as the use of additional measures to reduce the risk of microaspiration (e.g., subglottic secretions drainage, taper-shaped cuff, gel lubrication of the cuff, positive end-expiratory pressure) or use of measures to prevent pneumonia (e.g., hand hygiene promotion, head-of-bed elevation) in only one of the study arms. Differences in cuff shape other than conical (taper-shaped) were not considered an exclusion criterion. As such, comparisons of cylindrical PU cuff vs. globular PVC cuffs were accepted. |
 • Not original research (reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, editorials, letters) |
 • No full text available |