Airway management
An endotracheal tube is a curved plastic tube placed through the vocal cords into the trachea to secure the airway. Its parts are simple but each one matters: the 15 mm connector attaches to the circuit, the cuff seals the trachea so that ventilation goes to the lungs rather than escaping around the tube, the pilot balloon tells you the cuff is inflated, and the Murphy eye is a side hole near the tip that keeps ventilation possible if the main opening is occluded against the tracheal wall.
The figures on this page name the parts first, then show the tube in place. The passage figure is the moment of intubation itself — the cuff going through the cords is the cue to stop advancing. The cuff figure shows the seal and is the place to make the point about cuff pressure: enough to seal, not enough to compress the tracheal mucosa.
All figures are vector drawings that can be relabeled or restyled in the editor. The tube diagram is also used in the intubation sequence and the airway anatomy set, so the drawing style is consistent across all of them.
In the lecture
Name the parts in this order: connector, tube with depth markings, cuff, pilot balloon, Murphy eye, bevelled tip. The size printed on the tube is the internal diameter in millimetres.
In the lecture
The cuff should sit just below the cords, not straddling them. Watching the cuff pass through is the cue to stop.
In the lecture
Inflate to the minimum volume that stops an audible leak. Measure the pressure if a manometer is available; 20–30 cmH₂O is the usual target.
In the lecture
The tip should sit above the carina. A tube advanced too far enters the right main bronchus; the depth at the teeth is what you record to prevent it.
These diagrams are teaching aids drawn to show the structures and steps that matter at slide size. They are reviewed against standard anatomy and airway references but are simplified for clarity, and are not a substitute for clinical training, local guidelines, or supervised practice.
All respiratory diagrams