Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2020 May 1;318(5):L1032-L1035. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00498.2019. Epub 2020 Apr 1.
Endotracheal intubation is a vital component of many rat in vivo experiments to secure the airway and allow controlled ventilation. Even in the hands of experienced researchers, however, the procedure remains technically challenging. The safest and most reliable way for human intubation is by video laryngoscopy. Previous attempts to apply this technique in rodents have been complicated and expensive. We, hereby, describe a novel, noninvasive method to safely intubate rats orally by video laryngoscopy, thus avoiding the need for a surgical tracheostomy. By repurposing a commercially available ear wax removal device, visualization of the rat larynx can be significantly enhanced. Because of its small diameter, integrated illumination, and a powerful camera with adequate focal length, the device has all of the necessary properties for exploring the upper airway of a rat. After identifying the vocal cords by video laryngoscopy, the insertion of an endotracheal tube (a 14G intravenous catheter) into the trachea under constant visual control is facilitated by using PE50 polyethylene tubing as a stylet (Seldinger technique). The procedure has been performed more than 60 times in our laboratory; all intubations were successful on the first attempt, and no adverse events were observed. We conclude that the described procedure is a simple and effective way to intubate a rat noninvasively, using inexpensive and commercially available equipment.
经口气管插管是许多大鼠体内实验中确保气道通畅和进行控制通气的重要组成部分。然而，即使在经验丰富的研究人员手中，该操作仍然具有一定的技术挑战性。对于人类来说，最安全和最可靠的插管方法是视频喉镜。之前在啮齿动物中应用该技术的尝试既复杂又昂贵。在此，我们描述了一种通过视频喉镜安全经口插管大鼠的新型非侵入性方法，从而避免了进行手术气管切开术的需要。通过重新利用市售的耳垢清除装置，可以显著增强对大鼠喉部的可视化效果。由于其直径小、集成照明和具有足够焦距的强大摄像头，该设备具有探索大鼠上呼吸道所需的所有必要特性。通过视频喉镜识别声带后，在持续的视觉控制下，使用 PE50 聚乙烯管作为引导丝（Seldinger 技术）将气管内插管（14G 静脉导管）插入气管中，可实现该操作。该程序已在我们的实验室中进行了 60 多次；所有插管均在首次尝试时成功，并且未观察到不良事件。我们得出结论，所描述的程序是一种使用廉价且市售的设备对大鼠进行非侵入性插管的简单有效方法。
