02/06/2025
INTUBATION 🫁
The first video is an example of what it looks like to intubate a cat 🐈 You can see that there are two pink vocal folds moving at the back of the throat. When we place the tube, we wait until the folds are open. The structures are very sensitive and if touched, can spasm and clamp shut. We spray the folds with Lidocaine spray to numb the area before we place our tube in hopes of minimizing the likelihood of spasms.
The second video is an example of intubation on a dog 🐶 You will notice that you can’t see the vocal folds like in the first video. This patient is a Brachycephalic and has a long soft palate at the back of the throat. You can see it getting caught on the structures below. This condition is what causes the classic sounds made from pugs, frenchies, bulldogs etc. Patients can have this palate trimmed back so that it doesn’t catch and therefore making breathing easier.
