intubate

verb

in·​tu·​bate ˈin-(ˌ)tü-ˌbāt  -(ˌ)tyü-  -tə- 

intubated; intubating; intubates

transitive + intransitive

: to perform intubation on : to subject to intubation

The anesthesiologist resuscitates and intubates—if necessary—newborns in distress.

—Joseph J. Neuschatz

… female presented to the ED [emergency department] in a coma 90 minutes after ingesting approximately 8 g of nortriptyline. She was intubated, lavaged, and received activated charcoal.

—R. Rasmussen and P. E. McKinney

The trachea was intubated … and 100% oxygen was administered …

—Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh et al.

No one, amid the rush to intubate, had thought to prick the patient's finger and check his blood glucose level …

—Tony Dajer

Examples of intubate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The baseball field was next door to West Palm Fire Station 2, so first responders were on the scene quickly and rushed the second grader to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he was intubated and put on a ventilator. —Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024

By Sunday, Maisie was intubated as doctors continued to try to figure out what caused her condition to worsen, her grandmother said. —Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024

The next day she was admitted to the hospital, where she was intubated and remained in the intensive care unit for 56 days. —Michelle Brunner, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024

While he was still intubated last May, a nurse gave him a pen to write a note. —Tammy Lagorce, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024

Once she was intubated, the chemical ended up in her mouth, burning it and causing her lungs to collapse, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, citing a complaint filed in the district court. —Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024

Among the 13 admitted to the ICU, seven had to be intubated, according to the report. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 1 Feb. 2024

Thirteen of the patients ended up hospitalized in the intensive care unit; seven were intubated. —Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024

She was taken to the hospital, and, while intubated, answered authorities’ questions by writing out her answers. —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from intubation

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

intubate

verb

in·​tu·​bate ˈin-(ˌ)t(y)ü-ˌbāt  -tə- 

intubated; intubating; intubates

transitive + intransitive

: to perform intubation on : to subject to intubation

These patients should be intubated regardless of the blood gas results. ABG measurements, however, can assist in the decision to intubate less severely stressed patients.

—James W. Holcroft et al., Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Surgery, 13th edition

I'm very nervous, because I haven't intubated many children and I'm not sure how big she is or what size endotracheal tube I'll need.

—Valerie Norton, in Emergency!

No one, amid the rush to intubate, had thought to prick the patient's finger and check his blood glucose level …

—Tony Dajer, Discover

Twenty consecutive pediatric patients … whose tracheas had been intubated for various causes of respiratory failure, and who had received a CT scan, were included in our study.

—Kevin R. Bock et al., Chest