Design for a three-dimensional printed laryngoscope blade for the intubation of rats

Endotracheal intubation of rats is a common technique that is best carried out with a laryngoscope blade. The blade allows direct visualization of the trachea during intubation, reducing the risk of accidental intubation of the esophagus. Laryngoscope blades for use in rats are not commercially available, however. Three-dimensional (3D) printers have recently become available and can be used to produce small plastic items simply and reliably based on an established design. The authors created a design for a laryngoscope blade to be printed with a 3D printer and polylactide filament material. Using the printed laryngoscope blade, the authors successfully intubated 35 rats. The presented design may be used by any experimenter with access to a 3D printer to fabricate the same laryngoscope blade for their intubation procedures.