Influence of Breed on Tracheal Diameter and Endotracheal Tube Size Selection in Dogs: A Retrospective Analysis.
- 1Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
- 2Ian Animal Diagnostic Center, Seoul 06258, Republic of Korea.
- 3Department of Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Selecting the correct endotracheal tube (ETT) size is critical for safe anesthesia in dogs. Current ETT size recommendations are largely based on body weight (BW), although some breeds, particularly brachycephalic dogs, may receive smaller ETTs than predicted from BW alone. This two-part retrospective study was performed to evaluate the effect of breed on ETT selection. In Part 1, computed tomography (CT)-measured tracheal diameters (TD) were compared among five small dog breeds weighing 4-5 kg and having a body condition score of 5/9. In Part 2, an expanded clinical cohort of 512 dogs from eight breeds was used to compare clinically selected ETT sizes with BW-based predictions. Statistical models assessed whether breed influenced clinically used ETT sizes after accounting for body mass using the cube root of BW. CT measurements revealed that TD differed significantly among breeds within a similar body-weight range. In the Part 2 clinical cohort, clinically selected ETT size was significantly associated with breed, the cube root of BW, and their interaction. Shih Tzus, French Bulldogs, Pekingese, and Boston Terriers had clinically selected ETT sizes smaller than BW-based predicted sizes, with a median discrepancy of approximately 0.5 mm in Shih Tzus and approximately 1.0 mm in French Bulldogs, Pekingese, and Boston Terriers. These findings suggest that the magnitude of discrepancy from BW-based predictions varies among brachycephalic breeds, indicating that breed may warrant consideration when estimating ETT size.
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BibTeX
@article{kim2026influence,
title = {{Influence of Breed on Tracheal Diameter and Endotracheal Tube Size Selection in Dogs: A Retrospective Analysis.}},
author = {Jieun Kim and In Lee and Won-Gyun Son and Inhyung Lee and Hyunseok Kim},
journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ani16193089},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883058},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Influence of Breed on Tracheal Diameter and Endotracheal Tube Size Selection in Dogs: A Retrospective Analysis.
AU - Jieun Kim
AU - In Lee
AU - Won-Gyun Son
AU - Inhyung Lee
AU - Hyunseok Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
DO - 10.3390/ani16193089
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883058
AB - Selecting the correct endotracheal tube (ETT) size is critical for safe anesthesia in dogs. Current ETT size recommendations are largely based on body weight (BW), although some breeds, particularly brachycephalic dogs, may receive smaller ETTs than predicted from BW alone. This two-part retrospective study was performed to evaluate the effect of breed on ETT selection. In Part 1, computed tomography (CT)-measured tracheal diameters (TD) were compared among five small dog breeds weighing 4-5 kg and having a body condition score of 5/9. In Part 2, an expanded clinical cohort of 512 dogs from eight breeds was used to compare clinically selected ETT sizes with BW-based predictions. Statistical models assessed whether breed influenced clinically used ETT sizes after accounting for body mass using the cube root of BW. CT measurements revealed that TD differed significantly among breeds within a similar body-weight range. In the Part 2 clinical cohort, clinically selected ETT size was significantly associated with breed, the cube root of BW, and their interaction. Shih Tzus, French Bulldogs, Pekingese, and Boston Terriers had clinically selected ETT sizes smaller than BW-based predicted sizes, with a median discrepancy of approximately 0.5 mm in Shih Tzus and approximately 1.0 mm in French Bulldogs, Pekingese, and Boston Terriers. These findings suggest that the magnitude of discrepancy from BW-based predictions varies among brachycephalic breeds, indicating that breed may warrant consideration when estimating ETT size.
SN - 2076-2615
ER -