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Rupture of the left main‐stem bronchus by the tracheal portion of a double‐lumen endobronchial tube
Author(s) -
SAKURAGI T.,
KUMANO K.,
YASUMOTO M.,
DAN K.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1997.tb04869.x
Subject(s) - medicine , left main bronchus , lumen (anatomy) , bronchus , tube (container) , surgery , tracheal tube , bronchoscopy , anatomy , intubation , respiratory disease , lung , mechanical engineering , engineering
We report a rupture of the left main‐stem bronchus following the insertion of a left‐sided double‐lumen endobronchial tube in a 76‐yr‐old woman with a short trachea. A fiberoptic bronchoscope was not used during the initial insertion of the tube and the depth of insertion resulted in approximately 5 cm in excess of the optimal level for this patient. The rupture had been caused by the tracheal portion of the double‐lumen tube. This damage may have been avoided if a fiberoptic bronchoscope was used routinely as an introducer and for positioning of the endobronchial tube under direct vision.