The urinary catheter as a bronchial blocker.
Two cases are described in which problems with double lumen bronchial tubes occurred during thoracic surgery. A urinary catheter inserted down one lumen of each of the tubes enabled one lung anaesthesia to be continued without disturbing the surgery. This technique should be considered before abandoning one lung anaesthesia in those few cases where double lumen tubes fail to function as desired.
D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000379:methods*; D001980:Bronchi; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007440:Intubation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation*