The pinch test: a simple technique for determining the pressure of an endotracheal tube cuff

[...]this is often not done in the intensive care unit2 or the operating room.3 A study of the cuff pressures occurring in the operating room found a mean value of 46 mmHg, a level considered excessive.3 In this investigation, a simple method for estimating the pressure of an ETT cuff was evaluated4 based on the observation that the ETT pilot balloon on three brands of tubes reinflated slowly after being squeezed flat while the cuffs were inflated. [...]the pinch test represents an extension of the practice of palpating the pilot balloon of an ETT to verify the proper inflation of the cuff.