Artificial lung ventilation using separate intubation of two main bronchi in patients with acute respiratory failure

Two-luminal endotracheal tubes are used for one-lung or selective ventilation. However, in some cases there is a need for not only to isolate the lung, but also to exclude the trachea from ventilation, for example, in injuries of its distal portions. The use of a two-luminal endobronchial tube under these conditions does not always permit isolation of an affected area since the tracheal cuff is frequently above the site of an injury. For the treatment of such complications and for selective ventilation, it is proposed to use separate intubation of two main bronchi under guidance of fibrobronchoscopy. For this, two single-luminal bronchial tubes having different inlet openings are simultaneously used; one tube is inserted translaryngeally, the other is placed through the tracheostomic opening. The tube having a cut in the bronchial cuff with an opening for ventilation of the right upper lobar bronchus is employed for the right main bronchus. There are examples how to use separate intubation of the main bronchi in patients with acute respiratory failure. This procedure may be the method of choice for treating tracheal distal injuries and, if required, for performing selective artificial ventilation. The effects of the latter are analyzed.