Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital; Department of Urology and Urosurgery, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty of the University of Heidelberg; Intelligent Systems and Robotics in Urology (ISRU), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg; DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute, University Medical Center Mannheim;
Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital; Intelligent Systems and Robotics in Urology (ISRU), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg; DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute, University Medical Center Mannheim.
J Vis Exp. 2024 Mar 15(205). doi: 10.3791/66684.
Endotracheal intubation and subsequent ventilation are often basic requirements for translational research in rat models for various interventions that require controlled or high ventilation pressures or access to the thoracic cavity and organs. Conventional endoorotracheal intubation using the anatomically existing route through the mouth is well suited for survival experiments. However, this procedure poses some challenges, including generally higher levels of the required experience and technical skill, more advanced equipment, and greater time effort with relevant intubation failure rates and complications such as tracheal perforation, temporary systemic hypooxygenation, and relevant aerial leakage. This manuscript, therefore, presents a detailed step-by-step protocol for endotracheal intubation through tracheotomy in non-survival rat models when guaranteed intubation success, constant oxygenation levels, high ventilation pressures, or open thoracotomy are required. The protocol emphasizes the importance of meticulous surgical technique to ensure consistent and reliable outcomes, especially for researchers who are inexperienced or lack routine in the technique of endoorotracheal intubation via direct laryngoscopy. This procedure is, therefore, expected to minimize animal suffering and unnecessary animal losses.
气管内插管和随后的通气通常是大鼠模型中各种干预措施的基础要求，这些干预措施需要控制或高通气压力或进入胸腔和器官。通过解剖上存在的口腔途径进行常规的经鼻气管内插管非常适合生存实验。然而，该程序存在一些挑战，包括通常需要更高水平的经验和技术技能、更先进的设备以及更多的时间，相关的插管失败率和并发症，如气管穿孔、暂时性全身低氧血症和相关的空气泄漏。因此，本文详细介绍了一种在非生存大鼠模型中通过气管切开术进行气管内插管的分步协议，当需要保证插管成功、恒定的氧合水平、高通气压力或开胸时。该方案强调了精细的手术技术的重要性，以确保一致和可靠的结果，特别是对于那些经验不足或缺乏直接喉镜下经鼻气管内插管技术常规的研究人员。因此，该程序有望最大限度地减少动物的痛苦和不必要的动物损失。
