Extraluminal Placement of a Bronchial Blocker Compared with Carbon Dioxide Artificial Pneumothorax in Infants Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Objective: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of extraluminal placement of a bronchial blocker compared with carbon dioxide (CO(2)) artificial pneumothorax in infants undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Methods: The study involved 33 infants (group A) who underwent one-lung ventilation (OLV) with extraluminal placement of a bronchial blocker and 35 other infants (group B) who underwent CO(2) artificial pneumothorax. Clinical characteristics, the degree of lung collapse, and complications were compared. Results: The degree of lung collapse in group A was significantly higher than that in group B at T2 and T3. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) of group B was significantly lower than that of group A at 10 min and 30 min after OLV. The partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) of group B was significantly higher than that of group A at 30 min after OLV. The incidence of hypotension in group B was higher than that in group A. Conclusion: Compared with CO(2) artificial pneumothorax, extraluminal placement of a bronchial blocker is associated with a better degree of lung collapse, fewer episodes of hypotension, and lower PaCO(2) accumulation during OLV in infants undergoing VATS.