Case report of non-tracheal intubation—an alternative for postpneumonectomy patients undergoing contralateral pulmonary resection

BACKGROUND: Surgery on the contralateral or other lungs after pneumonectomy on one side is highly challenging and complex. It is critical to creating conditions for fluent surgical maneuvers while ensuring adequate ventilation for a patient during such an operation in the same chest cavity that appears incompatible. CASE PRESENTATION: We have reported herein the case of a patient who, following a left pneumonectomy, underwent a right upper pulmonary nodule wedge resection via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery without requiring endotracheal intubation. We managed ventilation with a laryngeal mask airway under general anesthesia combined with a thoracic epidural block. The diseased lobe collapsed well for the surgical procedure during VATS without hypoxia, after which the resection was safely performed. CONCLUSIONS: Non-tracheal intubation anesthesia can be a potentially attractive alternative for patients undergoing contralateral pulmonary resection after pneumonectomy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13019-023-02386-z.