Tracheal Bronchus: Anesthetic Implications and Importance of Early Recognition in the Context of Bronchial Blocker Use for Lung Isolation

ADEQUATE lung isolation is required for a majority of intrathoracic procedures. The double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) has long been considered the gold standard for lung isolation, but may be disadvantageous in some respects compared with the bronchial blocker (BB). As such, the BB is the lung isolation technique of choice in the authors’ practice. 1 Brodsky J.B. Con: A bronchial blocker is not a substitute for a double-lumen endobronchial...