Applications for bronchial blockers in thoracic surgery

One-lung ventilation is commonly used to facilitate visualization of the field during thoracic surgery. New devices for performing this technique that have become available over the past 2 decades include the Univent bronchial blocker incorporated in a single-lumen tube, the Arndt endobronchial blocker, and the Cohen endobronchial blocker. Although insertion of a double-lumen tube is still the method used most often to isolate the lung, bronchial blockade is an increasingly common technique and, in certain clinical settings, provides advantages over the double-lumen tube. This review provides an update on new concepts in the use of bronchial blockers as a technique for lung isolation and one-lung ventilation. The literature search was performed on MEDLINE through PubMed using the keywords bronchial blockers and thoracic surgery. The search span started with 1982-the year the first modern bronchial blocker was described - and ended with February 2006.