Use of bronchial blockers for thoracic surgery in pediatric oncology

Abstract

Introduction. Treatment of children with mediastinal and lung tumors is an urgent problem in both surgery and anesthesiology. Main goal is to grant optimal conditions for the surgery – collapse of the lung on the side of the operation, while maintaining adequate oxygenation and efficient transport of oxygen to the tissues. The choice of devices for carrying out one-lung ventilation (OLV) is the most important factor determining the safety of the patient.Aim of the study. To increase the efficiency and safety of anesthesia for thoracic surgeries in children due to the use of bronchial blockers (BB) for one-lung ventilation (OLV). Materials and methods. 92 surgeries were performed (49 – thoracoscopic, 43 – thoracotomies) in 11–17 years old 92 patients. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: BB group (n = 56) – OLV was performed using bronchial blocker; double-lumen tubes (DLT) group (n = 36) – OLV was performed using a DLT. Ventilation parameters, hemodynamics, the incidence of complications in the perioperative and postoperative periods were recorded.Results. A much less prolonged lungs separation time in BB group was found compared to the DLT group (65.32 ± 17.32 sec versus 99.0 ± 9.03 sec respectively, p < 0.0001) and a lower frequency of repositioning (0.2 ± 0.4 and 0.57 ± 0.51 respectively, p = 0.04). In patients with BB, less complications were recorded, such as postoperative aphonia and sore throat.Conclusion. BB demonstrate efficacy and safety in OLV management for thoracic surgeries in pediatric oncology. They provide faster lungs separation time than DLT, irrespective of the side of the surgery, allow complete collabation of the lung with a less frequent need for repositioning. The introduction of a new method of OLV with the use of BB in children is associated with reduction of the length of stay of patients in the intensive care unit during the postoperative period due to the reduction in complications such as trauma of the main bronchi, aphonia and sore throat.