Being intubated means having a tube inserted into your windpipe to keep your airways open. Intubation usually helps you breathe during emergencies or surgeries by connecting you to a ventilator.

Intubation is a technique doctors can use to keep your airway open by placing a tube into your trachea (windpipe) either through your mouth or nose. You may need to be intubated if your airway is ...

Dr. Lamas, a contributing Opinion writer, is a pulmonary and critical-care physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Days after his heart stopped and he collapsed motionless on a football ...