title: The single-connector technique for initial placement of double-lumen tubes.
abstract: Due to the presence of major lung or extra-pulmonary pathology, which may be unilateral or bilateral, the initial placement of a double-lumen tube is not always straightforward. Although fibreoptic bronchoscopy is often used to confirm "correct" placement, a "blind" technique is frequently used for the initial insertion. The currently widely taught blind technique involves tracheal cuff inflation and ventilation of both lungs as a first manoeuvre, with a subsequent assessment of single-lung ventilation by clamping off in turn, the two limbs of the double-lumen tube double-connector: An alternative approach involves the bronchial cuff being inflated first, and then using a single-connector to transfer ventilation from one lung to the other. In this paper this technique is described and compared to the more traditional method. On a purely "number of steps" basis, the single-connector approach has several advantages. Furthermore, use of a technique that involves bronchial cuff inflation and single-lung ventilation as a first manoeuvre may reduce the risk of a temporarily malplaced double-lumen tube creating a potentially harmful ball-valve effect in a partially obstructed lobe or lung.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, South Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pfitzner
authors.forename: H I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Hung
mesh_terms: D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D001980:Bronchi / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity