US Medical Term · emergency
Intubation
Intubación
What it means
Intubation is a procedure in which a tube is inserted through the mouth or nose into the trachea (windpipe) or into a hollow organ, such as the stomach, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary. Intubation of the trachea is usually done to keep a person's airway open so oxygen can flow into the lungs and to help a person breathe when they cannot breathe on their own. MedlinePlus calls this endotracheal intubation and says that in most emergency situations the tube is placed through the mouth; the tube can then be connected to a mechanical ventilator to assist breathing. According to NCI, intubation of the stomach is usually done to remove air or other substances from the stomach or to give drugs or liquid foods.
Intubation in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Intubación
- Gender and article
- feminine: la intubación (plural: las intubaciones)
- Pronunciation
- een-too-bah-SYOHN
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| entubación | General | Given by the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary as another name for intubación. |
Intubación is the headword of the National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary, which says the procedure is also called entubación. The Real Academia Española dictionary marks intubación as a feminine noun used in medicine and defines it as the action and effect of intubar, so it takes la and una. MedlinePlus en español titles its encyclopedia article Intubación endotraqueal, a procedure in which the tube is placed in the trachea, and lists Intubación - endotraqueal as its alternative name.
The tube itself has two names in these sources. The National Cancer Institute's definition says un tubo (sonda), while the MedlinePlus en español article writes sonda. Other words from the MedlinePlus en español article are tráquea (windpipe), laringoscopio (the device used to view the vocal cords), cuerdas vocales (vocal cords), ventilador mecánico (mechanical ventilator) and respirador, which appears where the English article says breathing machine. The dictionary's phrase for the airway is vías respiratorias.
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Clinician | Your father cannot breathe well on his own, so we need to intubate him. | Su padre no puede respirar bien por sí solo, así que necesitamos intubarlo. |
| Patient | What does intubation mean? Will he be awake? | ¿Qué significa intubación? ¿Va a estar despierto? |
| Clinician | We place a tube through the mouth into the windpipe and connect it to a ventilator. | Colocamos un tubo por la boca hasta la tráquea y lo conectamos a un ventilador. |
| Patient | Will he be able to talk while the tube is in? | ¿Podrá hablar mientras tenga el tubo puesto? |
| Clinician | We will give him medicine so that placing the tube is more comfortable. | Le daremos un medicamento para que la colocación del tubo sea más cómoda. |
| Patient | How long will he need the breathing tube? | ¿Cuánto tiempo va a necesitar el tubo para respirar? |
| Clinician | Has he ever told you his wishes about being on a breathing machine? | ¿Le ha dicho él alguna vez cuáles son sus deseos sobre estar conectado a un respirador? |
| Patient | My throat has been sore since they took the tube out. Whom can I tell? | Me duele la garganta desde que me quitaron el tubo. ¿A quién se lo puedo decir? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Intubation |
| Spanish (Español) | Intubación |
| Chinese (中文) | 插管 |
| Korean (한국어) | 기관 삽관 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Đặt ống nội khí quản |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Intubation |
| Portuguese (Português) | Intubação |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | การใส่ท่อช่วยหายใจ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 挿管 |
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Lungs and breathing
All terms in this area: Lungs and breathing — Pulmones y respiración
Sources
- intubation — NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms — National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH
- intubación — Diccionario de cáncer del NCI — Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NCI), NIH
- Endotracheal intubation: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Intubación endotraqueal: MedlinePlus enciclopedia médica — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- intubación — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026