Carrying Laryngoscopic Blade for Orotracheal Intubation of Rats

The research paradigm of using large laboratory animals, in which oroendotracheal intubations are relatively easy, is shifting toward the use of small animals, such as rodents, in which oropharyngeal access is limited, the arytenoid cartilage cycles are faster, and the glottis is much smaller. The considerable growth recently seen in preclinical imaging studies is accompanied by an increased number of rats and mice requiring in vivo intubation for airway management. Tracheal access is important for ventilation, administration of inhaled anesthetics, instillation of drugs or imaging agents, and maintenance of airway patency to reduce mortality during and after operations. I fashioned a light-carrying laryngoscopic blade (laryngoscope) from readily available acrylic-polymethyl methacrylate tubing and used it to perfonn rapid, effective tracheal intubation in rats. The laryngoscope design and intubation techniques are presented. Abbreviations: IP, intraperitoneally The administration of anesthetics, drugs, or imaging agents via the trachea is important to many biomedical studies. In ad-dition, controlled ventilation can be the key to animal health and survival or required for an experimental protocol. Unlike nose cones or masks, proper tracheal intubation ensures a completely dosed ventilation system; avoids loss of gases, aerosols, or vola