Fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents

A fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents is provided. The fixing device includes: a bed configured to place a rodent thereon; a support member attached to an upper end portion of the bed in a transversely movable manner and supporting a gas supply pipe through which an anesthetic gas is supplied to the nose of the rodent; and a fastening member configured to fix the support member to the upper end portion of the bed after an end portion of the gas supply pipe is aligned with the nose of the rodent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a National Phase of PCT/KR2013/010009, filed on Nov. 6, 2013, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Application No. KR 2012-0145718, filed Dec. 13, 2012.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents which includes a fixation adjusting part for fixing an inhalation anesthetizing device to a fixing bed so as to stably maintain anesthesia during intubation.

BACKGROUND ART

Laboratory rodents such as rats and mice are widely used for preclinical animal testing. In operations or experiments using such rodents, a respiratory tube is inserted into the respiratory tract, and a ventilator is connected to the respiratory tube for control breathing and anesthesia.

Mice are exemplary small rodents used for animal testing, and the weight of mice is about 20 g to about 30 g, and the diameter of the respiratory tract of mice is very narrow in the range of 1 mm to 1.5 mm. A tube may be inserted into the respiratory tract of a rodent while looking at the larynx and vocal cord of the rodent using a laryngoscope. However, since the diameter of the respiratory tract of rodents is too small to see, it is difficult for inexperienced experimenters to insert a tube into the respiratory tract of a rodent. In addition, if a rodent is not anesthetized nor in a stable anesthesia state, it is more difficult to insert a tube into the respiratory tract of the rodent because the rodent moves.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Technical Problem

A fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents is provided so as to fix a rodent at an angle at which intubation may easily be performed.

A fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents is provided so as to maintain a rodent at a stable anesthesia state.

Technical Solution

According to an aspect, there is provided a fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents, the fixing device including: a bed configured to place a rodent thereon; a support member attached to an upper end portion of the bed in a transversely movable manner and supporting a gas supply pipe through which an anesthetic gas is supplied to a nose of the rodent; and a fastening member configured to fix the support member to the upper end portion of the bed after an end portion of the gas supply pipe is aligned with the nose of the rodent.

The gas supply pipe may be attached to the supporting member and may be movable toward/away from the nose of the rodent, and the fixing device may further include a fixing member configured to fix the gas supply pipe to the supporting member.

The fixing device may further include a head fixing member configured to fix the head of the rodent.

The head fixing member may fix the incisors of the rodent.

The upper end portion may be bent downward from a rest portion of the bed on which the rodent is placed.

The fixing device may further include a base configured to support the bed within an angle range of 45° to 90°.

The base may include a plurality of receiving structures configured to receive a lower end portion of the bed and support the bed at different angles with the angle range.

Advantageous Effects

According to exemplary embodiments, the posture of a rodent may be fixed for stably anesthetizing the rodent and easily performing endotracheal intubation on the rodent.

In addition, even an inexperienced experimenter may stably place a rodent and anesthetize the rodent, thereby reducing the possibility of failure of endotracheal intubation and the time necessary for performing experiments.

MODE FOR INVENTION

Hereinafter, a fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals denote like elements. Moreover, detailed descriptions related to well-known functions or configurations will be ruled out in order not to unnecessarily obscure subject matters of the exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 1is a perspective view illustrating a fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents according to an exemplary embodiment, andFIG. 2is an exploded perspective view illustrating the fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents illustrated inFIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, the fixing device for endotracheal intubation of rodents includes a bed20on which a laboratory rodent may be placed, a base10supporting the bed20at a predetermined angle, a gas supply pipe31for supplying an anesthetic gas, and a support member30attached to the bed20for supporting the gas supply pipe31.

The angle of the bed20may be determined such that an experimenter may perform endotracheal intubation while looking down at the mouse of a rodent placed on the bed20. For example, the angle of the bed20may be set within the range of about 45° to about 90°. The angle of the bed20may be fixed to one value. Alternatively, the angle of the bed20may be varied to two or more values.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, the base10has two receiving structures11into which the bed20is insertable. For example, the two receiving structures11may have inclined slit shapes respectively capable of holding the bed20at 45° and 90°. InFIGS. 1 and 2, two receiving structures11are illustrated. However, the number of receiving structures11is not limited thereto. For example, the base10may include three or more receiving structures11for providing three or more bed angles ranging from 45° to 90°.

For example, the bed20has a flat plate shape, and a lower end portion23of the bed20is inserted into one of the receiving structures11. An experimenter may easily perform endotracheal intubation by selecting one of the receiving structures11having a suitable angle after considering factors such as his/her height, and inserting the lower end portion23of the bed20into the selected receiving structure11. The depth of each of the receiving structures11may be determined in such a manner that after the lower end portion23of the bed20is inserted into the receiving structure11, the bed20may be stably maintained at the bed angle without separation or falling. Therefore, an additional fixing tool may not be necessary for fixing the bed20, and thus the fixing device may have a simple structure.

The bed20includes a rest portion24extending from the lower end portion23for receiving a rodent, and an upper end portion22opposite the lower end portion23. The support member30is attached to the upper end portion22. The support member30supports the gas supply pipe31so that a rodent may enter into a stable anesthesia state before endotracheal intubation. The support member30may be moved along the upper end portion22in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the bed20. That is, the support member30may be moved in a transverse direction. For example, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, a rail portion34is formed in the support member30so that the support member30may surround an edge portion of the upper end portion22of the bed20and may be transversely moved along the upper end portion22of the bed20. For example, the rail portion34may have a C-shape. For example, the support member30may be moved to a position at which the gas supply pipe31supported by the support member30is aligned with the nose of a rodent placed on the rest portion24. In this state, the support member30may be coupled to the upper end portion22using a fastening member32. For example, the fastening member32may couple the support member30to the upper end portion22of the bed20through a threaded coupling structure. For example, the fastening member32having a threaded portion may be inserted into a lower side of the support member30toward the upper end portion22of the bed20so that an end portion of the fastening member32may be brought into contact with or held against the upper end portion22of the bed20for fixing the support member30to the upper end portion22. The fastening member32may have a known clamping structure instead of the threaded coupling structure. That is, the fastening member32may have any structure as long as the support member30may be detachably coupled to the upper end portion22of the bed20using the fastening member32.

The gas supply pipe31may be coupled to the support member30in such a manner that the gas supply pipe31may be moved toward and away the nose of a rodent. For example, the gas supply pipe31coupled to the support member30may be movable forward and backward in the length direction of the gas supply pipe31. In this case, an end portion of the gas supply pipe31may be moved close to the nose of a rodent so as to effectively supply an anesthetic gas and obtain a stable anesthesia state. The gas supply pipe31may be movable forward and backward in directions crossing the transverse direction. For example, the gas supply pipe31may be inserted into a penetration hole (not shown) of the support member30, and the penetration hole may have a diameter slightly greater than that of the gas supply pipe31. For example, the gas supply pipe31may be placed at a proper position at which the end portion of the gas supply pipe31is close to the nose of a rodent placed on the rest portion24. In this state, the gas supply pipe31may be fixed to the support member30using a fixing member35. For example, the fixing member35may have a threaded coupling structure. For example, the gas supply pipe31may be fixed to the support member30by inserting the fixing member35having a threaded coupling structure into a lateral side of the support member30until end portion of the fixing member35is held against the gas supply pipe31disposed in the penetration hole of the support member30. The fixing member35may have a known clamping structure instead of the threaded coupling structure.

For example, the gas supply pipe31is connected to an anesthetic gas supply unit (not shown) through a connection tube33.

The upper end portion22of the bed20may be bent and extend from the rest portion24. For example, the upper end portion22may be bent at a position corresponding to the mouth of a rodent placed on the rest portion24. The upper end portion22is bent downward from the rest portion24so that an experimenter may have a clear view during intubation. If the upper end portion22is bent downward, the support member30may be outside an intubation path, thereby ensuring a space for intubation and providing a clear view for an experimenter.

A rodent is placed on the rest portion24. A method for placing a rodent on the rest portion24is not limited. For example, any known method may be used. Therefore, a structure for fixing a rodent to the rest portion24is not illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2. For example, the trunk and legs of a rodent may be fixed to the rest portion24using an elastic band or a medical sticking plaster.

The fixing device may further include a head fixing member21for fixing the head of a rodent to the rest portion24when aligning the nose of the rodent with the gas supply pipe31. The head fixing member21may be used to fix a rodent to the rest portion24at a position close to the boundary between the upper end portion22and the rest portion24. For example, the head fixing member21may be an elastic band disposed across the bed20for elastically pushing down the head of a rodent. The head fixing member21may be used to fix the incisors of a rodent. Since the incisors of rodents are the frontmost teeth and longer than the other teeth, if the incisors of a rodent are fixed, the rodent may easily be held without being separated upward or downward. For example, the incisors of a rodent may be hooked on an elastic band disposed across the bed20. In addition, the head fixing member21may hold the mouth and upper jaw of the rodent. The head fixing member21may be a ring-shaped elastic band fitted around the bed20. Alternatively, the head fixing member21may be an elastic band disposed across the bed20with both ends of the elastic band being fixed to the bed20. Like Velcro, the head fixing member21may be fixed to the bed20. According to the above-described configuration, when a rodent is placed on the rest portion24for endotracheal intubation, the mouth of the rodent through which a tube will be inserted and the nose of the rodent to which an anesthetic gas will be supplied are fixed. Therefore, the gas supply pipe21may easily be aligned with the nose of the rodent for anesthetizing the rodent, and the endotracheal intubation may easily be performed.

Processes for endotracheal intubation will now be described with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2.

A rodent is placed on the bed20supported at a predetermined angle by the base10. For example, after placing the rodent on the rest portion24, the trunk and legs of the rodent are fixed to the rest portion24using an elastic band or a medical sticking band. In this case, the angle of the bed20may be selected or adjusted by inserting the lower end portion23of the bed20into one of the receiving structures11. Then, an experimenter may carry out the endotracheal intubation more easily.

Next, the head of the rodent is fixed using the head fixing member21. At this time, the mouth and nose of the rodent may easily be fixed by fixing the incisors of the rodent.

Next, the support member30to which the gas supply pipe31is attached is coupled to the upper end portion22of the bed20. At this time, in a state in which the fastening member32is not tightened, the support member30is transversely moved along the upper end portion22to align the gas supply pipe31with the nose of the rodent. Thereafter, the fastening member32is tightened to fix the support member30to the upper end portion22of the bed20.

Next, the gas supply pipe31is moved forward or backward in the length direction thereof so as to locate the end portion of the gas supply pipe31at a position close to the nose of the rodent. In this state, the gas supply pipe31is fixed to the support member30using the fixing member35.

Next, the gas supply pipe31is connected to the anesthetic gas supply unit. For example, the connection tube33connected to the gas supply pipe31is connected to the anesthetic gas supply unit.

Then, the rodent may inhale an anesthetic gas discharged through the end portion of the gas supply pipe31. After the rodent is stably anesthetized, a respiratory tube (not shown) is inserted into the respiratory tract of the rodent using a laryngoscope40. Since the diameter of the respiratory tract of rodents is very small, if a detachable magnifier41attached to the laryngoscope40is used, the endotracheal intubation may be carried out more easily. A ventilator may be connected to the respiratory tube for maintaining the breathing of the rodent.

While the present invention has been shown and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations could be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The fixing device may be used for endotracheal intubation for maintaining the breathing of rodents or anesthetizing rodents.