BACKGROUND Vocal cord injuries, postoperative hoarseness, and sore throat are common complications after general anesthesia. One-lung ventilation can be achieved via two techniques: double-lumen endotracheal tube or endobronchial blocker such as the Arndt blocker. The current study was designed to assess the impact of these techniques for one-lung ventilation on the incidence and severity of po...

BACKGROUND Despite an increased use of non-invasive ventilatory strategies and gentle ventilation, pneumothorax remains a common complication in preterm infants. The ventilator management of infants with air leaks remains challenging in terms of both prevention and treatment. Recently the safety and efficacy of expectant management avoiding chest tube drainage to treat large air leak in preterm...

Independent lung ventilation (ILV) can be classified into anatomical and physiological lung separation. It requires either endobronchial blockade or double-lumen endotracheal tube intubation. Endobronchial blockade or selective double-lumen tube ventilation may necessitate temporary one lung ventilation. Anatomical lung separation isolates a diseased lung from contaminating the non-diseased lun...

Functional separation of the lungs may be accomplished by several methods. Patient with restricted mouth opening has limited options for one-lung ventilation. We report the use of wire-guided endobronchial blockade, a new tool for achieving one-lung ventilation in a patient with restricted mouth opening requiring nasotracheal, fiberoptic intubation for esophagectomy and reconstruction with gast...

Postintubation Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) is a rare complication. Acquired TEF most commonly occurred following prolonged mechanical ventilation with an endotracheal or tracheostomy tube, cuff-related tracheal injury, post-intubation injury. We present a case of both tracheomegaly and tracheosephagial fistula following mechanical ventilation for 15 days, in the light of the literature.

Independent lung ventilation with two ventilators is sometimes used in the management of bronchopleural fistula (BPF). We describe a patient in whom gas flow through a large BPF was initially reduced, and subsequently eliminated, during differential lung ventilation using a single ventilator and a variable-resistance valve attached to one lumen of a bifurcated endotracheal tube.

rious consequences. In our study, the presence of BPF was not associated with the in-hospital mortality rate (mortality in patients with BPF, 46%; mortality in patients without BPF, 50%). In our experience, BPF rarely has important effects on gas exchange, and, in fact, a substantial quantity of ventilation has been reported3,4 to occur via the chest tube in patients with BPF. While BPF has lim...

rious consequences. In our study, the presence of BPF was not associated with the in-hospital mortality rate (mortality in patients with BPF, 46%; mortality in patients without BPF, 50%). In our experience, BPF rarely has important effects on gas exchange, and, in fact, a substantial quantity of ventilation has been reported3,4 to occur via the chest tube in patients with BPF. While BPF has lim...

The respiratory therapist plays an integral role in tracheostomy tube decannulation. Removal of the tracheostomy tube should be considered only if the original upper-airway obstruction is resolved, if airway secretions are controlled, and if mechanical ventilation is no longer needed. Predictors of success include ability to produce a vigorous cough and the absence of aspiration. Tracheostomy d...

Tracheostomy tube might cause tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) due to high cuff pressure or direct mechanical trauma. Surgical repair provides the ideal way to deal with TEF but it necessitates the weaning the patient from mechanical ventilation. Here we report a spontaneous closure of TEF by managing it with improved tracheal catheters in a patient who is dependent on mechanical ventilation.