ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Chirurgia 2005 December;18(6):455-8

Copyright © 2005 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Modified and safe technique of endotracheal intubation without tracheostomy for rats

Chen Y. S., Chou T. F., Tsai C. H., Lee T. M., Chen C. F.

Aim. Intubation of rat for temporary airway sometimes is a technique-dependent procedure in animal experiment. Previous reports demonstrated some reliable methods to achieve the goal, but specially designed equipment was necessary. We developed a new and simple modified method to intubate rats with low failure rate, and validated with experiments.
Method. Small incision was performed at the neck and anterior surface of the trachea came into view. The inner steel of 18-gauge catheter was used to as a stylet to guide polyethylene tube into the trachea of rats. Then the polyethylene tube was replaced with another 14-gauge catheter as the tracheostomy tube for further experiment.
Results. Total 60 rats were successfully intubated without failure. The mean time of intubation was 3.1±0.9 minutes. Through the same wound, neck vessels can be canuulated for the further use.
Conclusion. Our simple method can intubate rats in a safe and quick way without any additional special equipment, and it can be easily completed without complications.