Comparison of deep and shallow endotracheal administration of dionosil in dogs and effect of manual hyperventilation.

The endotracheal route has been used as a second route of choice for administration of emergency drugs for several years; however, the optimal technique for administration of drugs by this route has not been clearly defined. One important aspect of technique involves the question of how distribution to the distal-most endobronchial tree is influenced by initial depth of endotracheally administered drug instillation and use of forced manual hyperventilation. This study demonstrates that depth of instillation of drugs administered by the endotracheal route may not be an important factor in the delivery of medications to absorptive sites in the lung. It appears, however, that forced manual hyperventilation is essential to assure bilateral and optimal distal delivery of endotracheally administered medications.