Advanced Head & Neck Rehabilitation Center of Texas
  • Start
    • Introduction video
    • Site Map
  • About
    • Meet the Staff
    • Contact
    • Informational Handouts
    • Publications
    • Links
    • Disclaimer
  • The NTLS
  • Laryngectomy
    • Stories, testimonials and clinical videos
    • Laryngectomees Making News
    • Changes following a laryngectomy >
      • Anatomical Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Functional Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Swallowing After Laryngectomy
      • Smelling after Laryngectomy
    • General Care >
      • Stoma Care
      • Using Suction
      • Saline Bullets
      • Bathing and Showering as a Laryngectomy
    • Tracheoesophageal Voice Prosthesis - TEP >
      • Cleaning Your Voice Prosthesis
      • Troubleshooting Voice Prosthesis Issues
      • Voicing Tips
      • Handsfree Speech
      • Controlling Fungal Growth
      • TEP and HME During Radiation Treatment
    • The Electrolarynx
    • HME and Tubes >
      • Using an HME Cassette
      • Cleaning Mucous From An HME
      • How To Apply An Adhesive Housing
      • Applying an OptiDerm Adhesive Housing
      • Larytube Use and Cleaning
      • Larybutton Use and Cleaning
    • Laryngectomy FAQ >
      • General Post-Op
      • Swallowing
      • HME's - Adhesives - Larybuttons
      • TEP's and voicing
    • Rescue Breathing for Laryngectomees and Neck Breathers
  • Radiation
    • Swallowing During Radiation Treatment
    • Preventing Trismus
    • Oral Care During Radiation Treatment
    • Nutrition During Radiation Treatment
    • When Nothing Tastes Right
    • TEP and HME During Radiation
    • Radiation FAQ
  • Swallowing
    • Normal Swallowing
    • Dysphagia >
      • What is Dysphagia?
      • Common Symptoms of Dysphagia
      • Evaluating Dysphagia
    • Management of Dysphagia >
      • Overview: Diet and Intake Modifications
      • Dysphagia Therapy
      • Medical Management
      • Vital-Stim Instructions
    • Trismus
    • Returning to Eating Again
    • Dietary Guidelines >
      • SOFT DIET
      • PUREED DIET
      • MOIST DIET
      • Thickening Liquids at Home
    • Therapeutic feeding
    • Swallowing exercises
  • Tracheostomy
    • Indications
    • Trach Tube Anatomy
    • Tracheostomy Tube Varieties >
      • Cuffed vs Cuffless Tubes
      • Types of Cuffs
      • Proper Cuff Inflation
      • Fenestrated vs. Non-Fenestrated Tubes
    • Being a “Neck Breather” >
      • Physiologic and Functional Changes
    • Speaking with a Tracheostomy Tube >
      • Understanding How a Voice is Produced
      • Speaking Valves and Alternatives
    • Swallowing with a Tracheostomy
    • Suction
    • Tracheostomy Care & Decannulation
    • Tracheostomy FAQ
  • Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Guide
    • Overview
    • Why Feeding Tubes are Used
    • Types of Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Methods
    • Gastrostomy Tube Troubleshooting
    • G-Tube Removal: Preparation and Post-Removal Instructions
    • Feeding Tube FAQ
  • Reflux
    • What is Reflux?
    • Evaluating Reflux
    • Reflux Management
    • Medications
    • Reflux Diet: Beneficial Dietary and Lifestyle Changes
    • Reflux Diet: So What Can I Eat?
    • Extensive Testing and Management
    • Reflux FAQ
  • Voice
    • Voice Care
    • Evaluating Voice Disorders
    • Types of Voice Disorders
    • Managing Voice Disorders
  • Chronic Cough
    • Chronic Cough Management
    • Irritable Larynx Diagnosis
    • Management of ILS
    • Vocal Hygiene
    • Cough Cessation Protocol
    • Chronic Cough FAQ

Cuffed VS Cuffless Tubes 

A “cuff” refers to a balloon type structure located around the outer cannula, below the curvature, at the upper portion of the lower 1/3 of the tracheostomy tube and can be inflated and deflated as needed. A cuff can be inflated with air to fill the space in the trachea between the tracheal wall and the outer cannula which is necessary for various reasons/conditions.

Standard tracheostomy tube are designed as “cuffed” or “cuffless” and your doctor will decide which tube is most appropriate for you.

Cuffed tubes are most often used during mechanical ventilation. In this case, the cuff seals the airway so that the breaths being delivered by the ventilator (respirator) are delivered directly to the lungs. Without proper cuff inflation, the delivered breath (or a portion of it) would escape around the tube and out the nose and mouth without going to the lungs.

Picture
Cuffed Tube
Picture
Cuffless Tube

​Cuffs can also be inflated to help protect the airway and lungs from foreign material. For example, if a patient is unable to swallow their saliva properly, these secretions may overflow in the throat and enter the windpipe, resulting in “aspiration.” Even aspiration of saliva has the potential to make someone very sick because of the bacteria it introduces to the sterile lungs.  In this case, a cuffed tube may be indicated. With proper inflation of the cuff (“sealing the trachea”), the lungs are better protected from the saliva.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Start
    • Introduction video
    • Site Map
  • About
    • Meet the Staff
    • Contact
    • Informational Handouts
    • Publications
    • Links
    • Disclaimer
  • The NTLS
  • Laryngectomy
    • Stories, testimonials and clinical videos
    • Laryngectomees Making News
    • Changes following a laryngectomy >
      • Anatomical Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Functional Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Swallowing After Laryngectomy
      • Smelling after Laryngectomy
    • General Care >
      • Stoma Care
      • Using Suction
      • Saline Bullets
      • Bathing and Showering as a Laryngectomy
    • Tracheoesophageal Voice Prosthesis - TEP >
      • Cleaning Your Voice Prosthesis
      • Troubleshooting Voice Prosthesis Issues
      • Voicing Tips
      • Handsfree Speech
      • Controlling Fungal Growth
      • TEP and HME During Radiation Treatment
    • The Electrolarynx
    • HME and Tubes >
      • Using an HME Cassette
      • Cleaning Mucous From An HME
      • How To Apply An Adhesive Housing
      • Applying an OptiDerm Adhesive Housing
      • Larytube Use and Cleaning
      • Larybutton Use and Cleaning
    • Laryngectomy FAQ >
      • General Post-Op
      • Swallowing
      • HME's - Adhesives - Larybuttons
      • TEP's and voicing
    • Rescue Breathing for Laryngectomees and Neck Breathers
  • Radiation
    • Swallowing During Radiation Treatment
    • Preventing Trismus
    • Oral Care During Radiation Treatment
    • Nutrition During Radiation Treatment
    • When Nothing Tastes Right
    • TEP and HME During Radiation
    • Radiation FAQ
  • Swallowing
    • Normal Swallowing
    • Dysphagia >
      • What is Dysphagia?
      • Common Symptoms of Dysphagia
      • Evaluating Dysphagia
    • Management of Dysphagia >
      • Overview: Diet and Intake Modifications
      • Dysphagia Therapy
      • Medical Management
      • Vital-Stim Instructions
    • Trismus
    • Returning to Eating Again
    • Dietary Guidelines >
      • SOFT DIET
      • PUREED DIET
      • MOIST DIET
      • Thickening Liquids at Home
    • Therapeutic feeding
    • Swallowing exercises
  • Tracheostomy
    • Indications
    • Trach Tube Anatomy
    • Tracheostomy Tube Varieties >
      • Cuffed vs Cuffless Tubes
      • Types of Cuffs
      • Proper Cuff Inflation
      • Fenestrated vs. Non-Fenestrated Tubes
    • Being a “Neck Breather” >
      • Physiologic and Functional Changes
    • Speaking with a Tracheostomy Tube >
      • Understanding How a Voice is Produced
      • Speaking Valves and Alternatives
    • Swallowing with a Tracheostomy
    • Suction
    • Tracheostomy Care & Decannulation
    • Tracheostomy FAQ
  • Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Guide
    • Overview
    • Why Feeding Tubes are Used
    • Types of Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Methods
    • Gastrostomy Tube Troubleshooting
    • G-Tube Removal: Preparation and Post-Removal Instructions
    • Feeding Tube FAQ
  • Reflux
    • What is Reflux?
    • Evaluating Reflux
    • Reflux Management
    • Medications
    • Reflux Diet: Beneficial Dietary and Lifestyle Changes
    • Reflux Diet: So What Can I Eat?
    • Extensive Testing and Management
    • Reflux FAQ
  • Voice
    • Voice Care
    • Evaluating Voice Disorders
    • Types of Voice Disorders
    • Managing Voice Disorders
  • Chronic Cough
    • Chronic Cough Management
    • Irritable Larynx Diagnosis
    • Management of ILS
    • Vocal Hygiene
    • Cough Cessation Protocol
    • Chronic Cough FAQ