Most commonly, the process of passing an endotracheal tube (breathing tube) into the trachea (windpipe). Endotracheal intubation is carried out if mechanical ventilation is needed to deliver oxygen to the lungs. The tube is passed through the mouth or nose and down the throat.
The term intubation is also used to refer to the placement of a gastric or intestinal tube in the stomach for purposes of suction or the giving of nutrients (see feeding, artificial).
A procedure consisting in the introduction, through the mouth or nose into the larynx, of a tube designed to keep the air passage open at this point.
n. the introduction of a tube into part of the body for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment. Thus gastric intubation may be performed to keep the stomach empty during and after abdominal surgery and to provide feeding and drugs when the patient is unable to swallow. In endotracheal intubation an endotracheal tube is inserted through the mouth into the trachea to maintain an airway in an unconscious or anaesthetized patient. It requires expert knowledge for insertion, using a laryngoscope, and has a small cuff at the far end for inflation inside the trachea. It affords the best level of protection of the airway from vomitus.
Insertion of a rubber or plastic tube through the nose or mouth into the TRACHEA. The tube often has a cu? at its lower end which, when in?ated, provides an airtight seal. This allows an anaesthetist to supply oxygen or anaesthetic gases to the lungs with the knowledge of exactly how much the patient is receiving. Endotracheal intubation is necessary to undertake arti?cial ventilation of a patient (see ANAESTHESIA).... endotracheal intubation
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