Removal of a lodged endotracheal tube in an anaesthetised French Bulldog using manual laryngeal stabilisation and neuromuscular blockade, and subsequent complications.

A 5-year-old, female neutered French Bulldog presented under anaesthesia with an endotracheal tube (ETT) lodged in the larynx. Cuff inflation and deflation, application of lubricant, ETT rotation, and repeated traction did not allow ETT removal. The ETT was successfully removed under neuromuscular blockade with manual laryngeal stabilisation: the left thumb pressed against the epiglottis intraorally and the left index and middle fingers gripped the larynx externally to immobilise the larynx. The right-hand applied traction to the ETT, which could then be extracted. The dog's larynx obstructed on recovery from anaesthesia with suspected temporary laryngeal paralysis. The dog was managed with a tracheostomy tube for 3 days and made a good recovery. The dog presented in respiratory distress 4 weeks later with tracheal stenosis that was successfully treated with tracheal resection and anastomosis. This case report describes the use of neuromuscular blockade and manual laryngeal stabilisation to remove a lodged ETT and reflects on the subsequent complications.