Saintika Medika: Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan dan Kedokteran Keluarga.
Vol. 22 No. 1 (2026): June 2026

Characteristics of Thoracic Radiography and Complications of Displaced Endotracheal Tube

Indrastuti Normahayu (Brawijaya University)
S. Khansa Zatalini (Brawijaya University)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 Jun 2026

Abstract

Accurate assessment of endotracheal tube (ETT) position is essential after intubation because displacement may lead to clinically relevant pulmonary complications, while local real-world data from Indonesian referral hospitals remain limited. This study aimed to identify chest radiographic characteristics and complications associated with displaced ETT in patients at Dr. Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Malang. This descriptive cross-sectional study reviewed electronic medical records and post-intubation chest radiograph archives from September 2023 to September 2024. Among 4,000 patients who underwent ETT placement, 60 patients (1.50%) had displaced ETT. Pulmonary complications were identified in 48 of these patients (80.00%). Pneumonia was the most frequent complication, occurring in 25 patients (52.08%), followed by combined pneumonia and atelectasis in 12 patients (25.00%) and isolated atelectasis in 11 patients (22.92%). Follow-up chest radiography after ETT repositioning was performed in 43 patients, of whom 18 (41.86%) showed radiographic improvement. Although displaced ETT occurred in a relatively small proportion of patients, pulmonary complications were frequent once displacement occurred. These findings highlight the importance of post-intubation chest radiographic evaluation for early detection of displaced ETT and its complications in routine referral hospital practice.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

sainmed

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology Public Health

Description

Journal of Saintika Medika is a peer-reviewed and open access journal that focuses on promoting medical sciences generated from basic sciences, clinical, and community or public health research to integrate researches in all aspects of human health. This journal publishes original articles, reviews, ...