Anesthesia for pulmonary stent insertion.
OBJECTIVE
To familiarize anesthesiologists with recent advances in endoscopic pulmonary stenting. These interventions have replaced surgical procedures for the relief of central airway obstructions.


RESULTS
A pulmonary stent can provide immediate relief of symptoms and improvement in pulmonary function for both intrinsic and extrinsic airway lesions. The current indications for the use of both silicone-rubber stents and expandable metal stents are reviewed. Considerations for the anesthetic management of patients undergoing pulmonary stent placement are also discussed.


CONCLUSIONS
Tracheo-bronchial stenting procedures are being employed with increasing frequency. The practicing anesthesiologist must be familiar with the management of patients undergoing airway stenting procedures.
Brodsky
Jay B
JB
Department of Anesthesia, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA. jbrodsky@stanford.edu