title: Anesthesia for pulmonary stent insertion.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA. jbrodsky@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Jay B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Brodsky