cuffed endotracheal tube, an endotracheal tube with a balloon at one end that may be inflated to tighten the fit in the lumen of the airway. The balloon forms a cuff that prevents gastric contents from passing into the lungs and gas from leaking back from the lungs. Both high-pressure and low-pressure cuffs are used. Overinflation of the cuff can cause contusion, hemorrhage, mucosal sloughing, or stenosis.
