A simple and safe method for tracheal intubation using a supraglottic intubation-aid device in mice

•Airway management of mice is very difficult due to their small size.•A supraglottic airway device to aid tracheal intubation (SIAC) in mice was produced.•The new method of tracheal intubation in mice using a SIAC is safe and effective. Although mice are a commonly used animal species in experimental medicine, airway management of this species is not easy due to their small size. In order to develop a new method of tracheal intubation in mice, we produced a supraglottic intubation-aid conduit (SIAC) for mice, and tested the efficacy of this device in spontaneously breathing mice anesthetized with sevoflurane inhalation. The success rate of tracheal intubation with the crude prototype of the SIAC was 50% and adverse effects on respiration and some trauma in the upper airway were occasionally observed. After refining the size and shape of the SIAC, the success rate of tracheal intubation with the refined prototype of the SIAC was 100% without any serious adverse effects. This study showed that it is possible to produce a supraglottic airway device to aid tracheal intubation in mice and that the shape and size of the SIAC play a crucial role in successful tracheal intubation in mice.