Endotracheal intubation

Whether you are awake (conscious) or not awake (unconscious), you will be given medicine to make it easier and more comfortable to insert the tube. You may also receive medicine to relax. The health care provider will insert a device called a laryngoscope to be able to view the vocal cords and the upper part of the…

Endotracheal intubation is done to: Keep the airway open in order to give oxygen, medicine, or anesthesia. Support breathing in certain illnesses, such as pneumonia, emphysema, heart failure, collapsed lung or severe trauma. Remove blockages from the airway. Allow the provider to get a better view of the upper airway.…

Risks include: Bleeding Infection Trauma to the voice box (larynx), thyroid gland, vocal cords and windpipe (trachea), or esophagus Puncture or tearing (perforation) of body parts in the chest cavity, leading to lung collapse

The procedure is most often done in emergency situations, so there are no steps you can take to prepare.

You will be in the hospital to monitor your breathing and your blood oxygen levels. You may be given oxygen or placed on a breathing machine. If you are awake, your provider may give you medicine to reduce your anxiety or discomfort.

The outlook will depend on the reason the procedure needed to be done.

Casey DF. Tracheal intubation. In: Fowler GC, ed. Pfenninger and Fowler's Procedures for Primary Care . 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 222. Driver BE, Reardon RF. Tracheal intubation. In: Roberts JR, Custalow CB, Thomsen TW, eds. Roberts and Hedges' Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine and Acute…