title: [The use of the cuff leak test as a factor to predict laryngospasm].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Weaning patients from mechanical ventilation is a challenge in the intensive care unit (ICU) practice and is related to some complications. One of these is the pos-extubation laryngospasm, an event that can be anticipated for the cuff leak test (CLT). The objective was demonstrate that the CLT is a simple, reliable and low costs method to available the presence of obstruction in high airway in patients under weaning ventilator.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  It was made a systematic review in databases MedLine, SciElo and LILACS with articles from 1995 to 2007. The selected studies focused the use of the CLT to predict laryngospasm and extubation failure. It was excluded studies with animals and others literature reviews. It was looked correlates the CLT with mechanical ventilation's days, age and specific groups that could beneficiates with the application of this technique.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CLT can be considerate a good index to predict laryngospasm pos-extubation, when considerate the studied population characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Santa Izabel.
authors.forename: Lucas Montano Paternostro
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Saback
authors.affiliation: Hospital Salvador.
authors.forename: Gustavo Fernandes
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: Hospital São Rafael.
authors.forename: Marcelo Dourado
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Costa