RESPIRATION AND THE AIRWAY Randomized clinical trial comparing double-lumen tube and EZ-Blocker for single-lung ventilation

Editor’s key points † A new EZ bronchial blocker was compared with double-lumen tube (DLT) for providing single-lung ventilation (SLV). † Forty patients undergoing thoracic surgery were randomized to one of the two groups. † EZ-Blocker (EZ) provided comparable quality of lung collapse to DLT, but took longer for its placement. † EZ will be an efficient alternative for SLV where DLT cannot be used. Background. In several clinical situations, lung separation and single-lung ventilation (SLV) is essential. In these cases, the double-lumen tube (DLT) is the most widely used device. Bronchial blocker such as Univent or Arndt Blocker serves as an alternative. The EZBlocker (EZ; AnaesthetIQ B.V., Rotterdam, The Netherlands) is a new device promising to exceed clinical performance of DLT. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical performance of EZ in comparison with conventional left-sided DLT.