AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE QUESTION OF ASPIRATION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL INTO THE AIR PASSAGES DURING INTRATRACHEAL INSUFFLATION

The foregoing experiments clearly justify the following conclusions :—

Intratracheal insufflation protects the respiratory tract very efficiently against any invasion from the pharynx. The filling up of the pharynx with extraneous material, whether it be from the stomach or from the mouth, brings no danger to the trachea and bronchi. This holds true even if the animal is under deep anesthesia.

On the other hand, the presence of a tube in the trachea or larynx without the protection of an effective recurrent air stream, definitely facilitates the entrance of foreign material from the pharynx into the trachea. Anesthesia, which removes the protective action of deglutition, greatly increases the danger from aspiration in these cases.