Cuff leakage with double lumen tracheal tubes

Tracheal diameter predicts double-lumen tube size: a method for selecting left double-lumen tubes.

T here are no objective criteria for selecting the size of a double-lumen endobronchial tube (DLT) (1). An inappropriately sized DLT can cause airway trauma and interfere with oxygenation and lung separation during one-lung ventilation. The goal of this study was to determine if measurement of tracheal diameter from the preoperative chest radiograph can be used to predict which size DLT to choo...

Double-Lumen Endotracheal Tubes

Airway rupture from double-lumen tubes.

A DOUBLE-CUFFED double-lumen endobronchial tube (DLT) was used for the first time during thoracic surgery almost 50 years ago to isolate and selectively ventilate the lungs. The benefits of DLTs in terms of improved surgical exposure mad their ability to isolate and protect the lungs during thoracic operations are now widely recognized. Although DLTs are safe and easy to use, complications occu...

Left double-lumen tubes: clinical experience with 1,170 patients.

MODERN DISPOSABLE plastic double-lumen tubes (DLTs) are generally safe and easy to use.1,2 However, a misplaced or improperly used DLT can jeopardize any procedure and even injure the patient. This article reviews considerations for the selection and placement of left-sided DLTs based on data collected from a large series of patients undergoing thoracic procedures requiring one-lung ventilation...

The clinical use of right-sided double-lumen tubes.

Right-sided double-lumen tubes (DLTs) have a bad reputation. Many experts in the field of thoracic anesthesia regard them as being difficult to position, having a small margin of safety for correct placement, and being prone to intraoperative malpositioning. However, in a randomized prospective study, Campos et al. compared the use of right vs left DLTs in two groups of 20 patients having left ...