Which procedure creates an artificial airway by inserting a tube into the trachea?

• A. Ventilation
• B. Tracheostomy
• C. Bronchoscopy
• D. Intubation

Answer: (D)

Intubation is the act of placing a tube into the airway to create an artificial airway. When that tube is inserted through the mouth or nose and advanced into the trachea, it’s specifically called endotracheal intubation. This prepares the patient for controlled ventilation and helps protect the airway during anesthesia or critical illness.

Ventilation simply refers to delivering breaths, often with a machine or manual device, but it doesn’t by itself describe placing a tube into the trachea. Bronchoscopy is a procedure to look inside the airways with a scope. A tracheostomy creates a surgical opening in the trachea and places a tube there through the neck, which is a different route to an artificial airway than inserting a tube into the trachea via the mouth or nose.