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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Cat with severe upper airway narrowing helped by gum elastic bougie

By Keiko Kato et al.·Published in Open Veterinary Journal·2023·View original on Semantic Scholar

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Original publication title: Use of a gum elastic bougie in a cat with severe upper airway stenosis

Species:
cat

Plain-English summary

A 10-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was having serious breathing problems due to a laryngeal tumor that caused severe narrowing of the airway. When the veterinarian tried to put a breathing tube in, it was too difficult, and the cat couldn't get enough oxygen. They used a gum elastic bougie, a special device that helped provide oxygen temporarily until they could create a permanent opening in the trachea for better breathing. While the cat had some trouble with proper ventilation, the gum elastic bougie was effective in keeping the cat oxygenated during the procedure.

People also search for: cat breathing problems · laryngeal tumor in cats · gum elastic bougie for cats

Abstract

Background: Gum elastic bougie (GEB) is an airway management device for patients who are difficult to intubate and its use has been reported in human medicine. However, to our knowledge, no reports in veterinary medicine have described oxygenation using GEB. We describe a case in which GEB was used to maintain oxygenation in a cat with severe upper airway stenosis. Case Description: A 10-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was diagnosed with a laryngeal tumor with severe upper airway stenosis. During anesthesia induction, the normal laryngeal structure could not be confirmed; orotracheal intubation was difficult, resulting in a “cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate” status. The GEB was inserted, making it possible to oxygenate the cat until a permanent tracheostoma could be created, but hypoventilation was noted. Conclusion: Although GEB are not useful for proper ventilation, they can be useful for temporary oxygenation in veterinary medicine when airway management is difficult.

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Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/36777444