Abstract
Background: Intubation difficulties, hypoxemia, inability to perform a one-lung ventilation, and high airway pressure often occur during double-lumen tube intubation. Tracheal bronchus is a very rare and difficult to find reason. We present a case of tracheal bronchus accidentally discovered during double-lumen tube intubation in a patient undergoing thoracic surgery. We are the first one to summarize the one-lung ventilation strategy for patients with tracheal bronchus. Case Presentation: A 53-year-old man underwent a scheduled thoracoscopic left upper lobectomy. After two unsuccessful attempts to pass the right-sided double-lumen tube through the right mainstem bronchus, fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed an aberrant tracheal bronchus with an incidence of 0.1%–3%. Finally we used a left-sided DLT to ventilate the right lung. The patient had no airway complications and was discharged 7 days after the operation.Conclusions: This case serves to remind us that preoperative visits must be thorough and careful. Although a computed tomography chest examination was performed before surgery, we just looked at the inspection report and did not look at the images. We also reviewed relevant literature and summarized the one-lung ventilation strategies for patients with tracheal bronchus. For left-lung ventilation, either a left-sided double-lumen tube or a combination of a bronchial blocker and Fogarty artery embolization catheter can be used. For right-lung ventilation, a bronchial blocker or a left-sided double-lumen tube is a good choice.
Tracheal Bronchus: A Rare Etiology of Recurrent Pneumonia in Children
