Laryngoscopic endotracheal intubation of rats for inhalation anesthesia

Abstract

Endotracheal intubation of the rat under direct vision is described together with the details of procedures and apparatus for conducting inhalation anesthesia in this species. Our intubation method requires no special manufacture of equipment, because it employs the human laryngoscope equipped with an infant blade (size 0). Using inhalation anesthetics such as enflurane or halothane for induction, clear laryngoscopic visualization of the glottis is reliably obtained, allowing rapid and routine intubation of the rat in a highly predictable amount of time. In contrast, the injected anesthetics such as ketamine or pentobarbital sodium seem unsuited to laryngoscopic intubation as a result of problems of variable induction times, copious oral secretions, and strong pharyngeal-laryngeal reflexes.