Inadvertent Endobronchial Intubation in a Patient With a Short Neck Length

Inadvertent placement of the endotracheal tube into the right bronchus during intubation for general anesthesia is a fairly common occurrence. Many precautions should be taken by the anesthesia provider in order to minimize the incidence of endobronchial intubation, including bilateral auscultation of the lungs, use of the 21/23 rule, and palpation of the inflated endotracheal cuff at the sternal notch. These provisions, however, are not foolproof; anesthesia providers should realize that endobronchial intubation may occur from time to time because of variations in patient anatomy, changes in patient positioning, and cephalad pressures exerted during surgery. A 58-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease received general endotracheal anesthesia for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. His height was 165 cm (5 ft, 5 in) and the endotracheal tube was secured at his incisors at 21 cm after placement with a rigid laryngoscope. Bilateral breath sounds were confirmed with auscultation, although they were distant because of his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. After radiographic examination in the postanesthesia care unit, a right main-stem intubation was revealed to have taken place, resulting in complete atelectasis of the left lung. After repositioning of the endotracheal tube, radiography confirmed that the patient had an anatomically short tracheal length.Key Words: Endobronchial intubation, Main-stem intubation, Short neck length, General anesthesiaEffective airway management is the primary concern of the anesthesiologist.¹ During general anesthesia, proper insertion and maintenance of the endotracheal tube are keys to ensuring patient safety; errors or complications during this process can result in significant morbidity or mortality.² Among the most common complications of endotracheal intubation is the inadvertent placement of the tube into the right bronchus.The length of the trachea can be reasonably estimated in the average adult patient; therefore, it is common practice among many anesthesia providers to secure the endotracheal tube within a predetermined range.³ Anatomical variation among individual patients does exist, and, if not appreciated, can be the genesis of inadvertent malpositioning of the endotracheal tube.We report here an adult patient with a short neck length that resulted in inadvertent placement of the endotracheal tube into the right bronchus. The case highlights the importance of appreciating anatomical variations of the neck during endotracheal intubation.     

Clinical test to confirm tracheal intubation: a new method to confirm endotracheal intubation in the absence of capnography

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Advancing an uncut endotracheal tube into the right main bronchus produces unilateral breath sounds. We wanted to test the validity of using this method to distinguish oesophageal from tracheal intubation. METHODS: Forty-two patients were randomized into two groups. The first group was randomized to receive an endotracheal tube that was advanced into the right main bronchus. The second group of patients had their tracheas intubated as normal and then a second endotracheal tube was placed in the oesophagus. Blinded observers were then asked to decide by auscultation if the patients had unilateral breath sounds or not and if they were bronchial and therefore to decide if endotracheal intubation had occurred. RESULTS: Ninety-one per cent of patients (95% CI 0.71-0.99) intubated in the right main bronchus were correctly identified by unilateral breath sounds confirming the usefulness of this test. CONCLUSIONS: Advancing an endotracheal tube into the right main bronchus and auscultation of unilateral breath sounds is a useful way of confirming tracheal intubation.     

Selective right bronchial intubation using tracheal tubes under fibroscopic guidance]

We have evaluated the technique of right bronchial intubation for selective right pulmonary ventilation using one lumen tracheal tubes as an alternative to double lumen tubes. We studied 20 patients ASA II-III with a relatively preserved pulmonary function who were programmed for left thoracotomy. We used Shiley nr. 9 or Mallinckrodt nr. 11 tubes. After endotracheal intubation the tube was blindly advanced to the main right bronchus. The position of the tube was assessed by auscultation and it was verified and modified, if necessary, by fibroscopic visualization. The tube was advanced in such a way that Murphy's hole of the endotracheal tube remained in front of the exit of the right superior lobar bronchus. In three patients (15%) blinded placement of the tube was appropriate and in 4 patients (20%) fibroscopic replacement of the tube was required. In the remaining 13 patients (65%) placement of the tracheal tube was considered incorrect: tube rotation in 7 cases, upper placement of the Murphy's hole with respect to the origin of the superior lobar bronchus in 4 cases, and excessive distal placement of Murphy's hole with respect to the superior lobar bronchus in 2 patients. Complications related with the incorrect position of the tube were: leaking of gas into the left bronchium in 5 patients (25%), displacement of the tracheal tube into the main left bronchus requiring withdrawal of the tube to the trachea in one case (5%), hypoxemia (saturation of O2 lower than 90%) in spite of ventilation with FiO2 = 1 in two patients, moderate hypercapnia in three cases, and atelectasis of the right superior lobe during the postoperative phase in three patients (15%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Anesthetic management of a patient with tracheal bronchus with one lung ventilation]

A 56-year-old-male with malignant pleural mesothelioma of the left lung underwent pneumonectomy and pleurectomy. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy was not done preoperatively. Anesthesia was induced rapidly and a double-lumen endobronchial tube was inserted. When we checked the position of the tube with a fiberoptic bronchoscope, we found that the normal right upper lobe bronchus was absent and that the inflated tracheal cuff had obstructed the right upper lobe bronchus originating above the carina. Then we changed the double-lumen endobronchial tube to a endotracheal tube with the blocker. Thereafter, the surgery was completed safely and his postoperative course was uneventful. Routine bronchoscopy is essential just after intubation and before extubation of the endobronchial tube in safe airway management. How to use a fiberoptic bronchoscope to check the position of a double-lumen endobronchial tube is also discussed.     

Case report: Endotracheal tube malposition in a patient with a tracheal bronchus

PURPOSE: A tracheal bronchus is a congenital abnormality of the tracheobronchial tree, in which a displaced or accessory bronchus arises from the trachea superior to its bifurcation. We report a patient with a tracheal bronchus that was found incidentally during surgery in the prone position, and the potential airway management problems which may have ensued. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 70-yr-old female underwent posterior spinal decompression and fusion in the prone position. Intraoperatively, end-tidal CO2 and airway pressure increased. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy revealed that the endotracheal tube (ETT) was kinked at the 16 cm mark, which was corrected by rotating the patient's head and ETT. When the bronchoscope was advanced beyond the tip of the ETT, a tracheal-bronchial tree trifurcation was identified. Endobronchial intubation was suspected. As the ETT was withdrawn, the endoluminal view remained unchanged. During bronchoscopy, the patient's trachea was nearly extubated in the prone position. Subsequent bronchoscopy of the major bronchial divisions showed that the trifurcation represented left main stem bronchus, bronchus intermedius and right upper lobe bronchus. Once the tracheal bronchus was recognized, the tip of the ETT was repositioned 3 cm above the tracheal trifurcation, and the rest of the case was uneventful. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the diagnostic challenge and airway management implications of one variant of a tracheal bronchus when airway problems are encountered intraoperatively. This knowledge should be applied in the differential diagnosis and management of intraoperative hypoxemia; and in the proper positioning of the ETT.     

改良单腔气管导管引导法对Univent管放置成功率的影响

目的评价改良单腔气管导管(ETT)引导法对Univent管左主支气管放置成功率的影响。方法需左侧肺萎陷的择期胸科手术患者80例,随机均分为改良组和常规组。气管插管前,将前端呈135°弯曲的Univent管放置于ETT(ID8.5mm)内,Univent管前端弯曲方向与ETT弯曲方向一致。改良组与常规组的主要不同点在于:内含Univent管的ETT过声门后即向左旋转90°(Univent管随ETT也向左旋转90°),两者向下推进至隆突,使ETT前端开口正对左主支气管口,然后将Univent管继续插入约5cm,ETT退至22～24cm处,用纤维支气管镜(FOB)检查Univent管是否进入左主支气管,并将Univent管调至最佳位置。记录Univent管试插次数,放置到最佳位置所需时间(从暴露声门开始),以及气道黏膜有无损伤。结果改良组Univent管一次试插成功率明显高于常规组(100%vs.60%,P<0.01);放置时间改良组明显短于常规组[(4.0±1.5)minvs.(10.0±5.5)min,P<0.01];气道黏膜损伤发生率改良组明显低于常规组(6.5%vs.17.5%,P<0.05)。结论改良ETT引导法使Univent管更容易被放置到左主支气管。     

Successful one-lung ventilation in a patient with aberrant tracheal bronchus

IMPLICATIONS: We report a 47-yr-old patient who underwent surgery for esophageal cancer. Because of the isolated ventilation of the right upper lobe after occlusion of the right mainstem bronchus, bronchoscopic re-confirmation exposed an aberrant tracheal bronchus. A Fogarty tube was introduced to block the tracheal bronchus and provide one-lung ventilation.     

Tracheobronchomalacia in an adult with metaphyseal chondrodysplasia

Anaesthetic complications such as obstruction of airways by submucosal cartilage-bone protuberances, immobility of the neck or instability of the atlanto-axial joint have been described earlier in paediatric patients with congenital osteochondral disorders. This report concerns a case in which tracheal collapse due to tracheobronchial malacia in an adult patient with metaphyseal chondrodysplasia evidently caused severe ventilatory difficulties in the induction of anaesthesia. The management of the patient on three subsequent occasions is described. During the first operation, support of the upper respiratory tract was performed. For this procedure, awake tracheal intubation with local anaesthesia applied to the larynx, vocal cords and trachea was used. After surgical correction of the bronchus of the right upper lobe and the stem bronchus, subsequent anaesthesias for surgical treatment of scoliosis could be conducted safely. The possibility of co-existing tracheobronchial malacia in patients with osteochondrodysplasias should be considered and tracheal intubation under local anaesthesia is recommended.     

Post-intubation tracheal rupture: poor healing of the tracheal wall

Purpose

To describe tracheal rupture after orotracheal intubation assisted by a tracheal tube introducer.

Clinical features

A 73-yr-old morbidly obese female patient with a history of hypertension underwent a total knee replacement. There were no anticipated signs of difficult intubation. Orotracheal intubation was attempted twice by direct laryngoscopy, and a Boussignac bougie was used as a tube exchanger for the second attempt. Seven hours after tracheal extubation, the patient became dyspneic and showed a large subcutaneous emphysema. A chest x-ray and computerized tomography scan revealed rupture of the posterior tracheal wall. The distal part of the injury was 26.5 cm from the patient’s teeth and 0.5 cm from the carina (i.e., beyond the normal location of the tracheal tube tip) and extended to the origin of the right main bronchus, where the tip of the Boussignac bougie was probably pushed. Formation of an endotracheal sac occurred during the first two weeks after intubation, accompanied by dyspnea and alveolar hypoventilation, but symptoms resolved favourably with conservative management.

Conclusion

The tracheal rupture was attributed to airway manipulations, and the distal location of the lesion suggests that the cause was the Boussignac bougie rather than the tracheal tube. Long-term healing of the injury was satisfactory, although the patient continued to complain of dyspnea one year after the rupture.     

Failure to provide adequate one-lung ventilation with a conventional endotracheal tube using a transbronchial approach: a case report

PURPOSE: To report a case where failure to provide adequate one-lung ventilation during transbronchial intubation resulted in a potentially fatal mishap. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 61-yr-old male was scheduled for right lung lobectomy. Induction of general anesthesia was smooth, and subsequent resection of the right middle lobe was uneventful. Difficult ventilation with high airway pressure and poor right lung re-expansion prompted repositioning of the double-lumen tube after the resection. The removal of the right middle bronchial clamp and associated right mainstem manipulation caused flooding of blood into the double-lumen tube. Mindful of the risk of fatal desaturation, the surgeon immediately opened the right mainstem bronchus and cleared the airway. Confirmation of a displaced double-lumen tube prompted the surgeon to insert an endotracheal tube (internal diameter 5.5 mm) from the opened right mainstem bronchus to the left main bronchus to maintain oxygenation. Although bronchoscopic examination confirmed proper location of the reinserted tube, oxygen saturation was not sufficiently (60%) improved. Another 5.5-mm endotracheal tube was inserted, with its tip inside the right upper bronchiole, for further ventilatory support. Finally, a rise in SpO2 to around 95% allowed completion of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Displacement of the double-lumen endobronchial tube and flooding with clotted blood will result in potentially fatal ventilation difficulties. Repositioning and cleaning of the tube must be prompt to reduce the risk of hypoxemia. Where emergency single-lung ventilation is required, we suggest the utilization of a modified single-lumen endotracheal tube with a shortened cuff-tip length to ensure an adequate margin of safety for mainstem bronchus intubation.     

Does the Murphy eye reduce the reliability of chest auscultation in detecting endobronchial intubation?

Bilateral breath sounds are routinely auscultated after endotracheal intubation to verify that the endotracheal tube (ETT) tip is properly positioned. We conducted the present study to ascertain whether the eye of the Murphy tube has an influence on the reliability of auscultation of breath sounds in detecting endobronchial intubation. Twenty patients undergoing scheduled oral and maxillofacial surgery participated in this study. After the induction of general anesthesia, either the Magill tube or the Murphy tube was inserted through the nose into the trachea. The fiberoptic bronchoscope was inserted through the ETT, and the distance from the nares to the carina of the trachea was measured. When breath sounds from the left side of the chest changed and disappeared while the ETT was being advanced, the distance from the nares to the ETT tip was measured. Unilateral auscultatory change was not observed until the ETT tip was advanced beyond the carina and inserted 1.5+/-0.4 cm into the right mainstem bronchus when the Magill tube was used and 2.0+/-0.4 cm when the Murphy tube was used (P < 0.01). Breath sounds disappeared when the ETT tip was further advanced up to 3.2+/-0.3 cm from the carina. We demonstrated that the eye of the Murphy tube reduces the reliability of chest auscultation in detecting endobronchial intubation. IMPLICATIONS: The Murphy eye was designed to allow ventilation of the lung when the bevel of the endotracheal tube is occluded. We demonstrated that the eye of the Murphy tube reduces the reliability of chest auscultation in detecting endobronchial intubation.     

Auscultation of bilateral breath sounds does not rule out endobronchial intubation in children

We performed orotracheal intubation in 153 consecutive pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. Auscultation of bilateral breath sounds was confirmed. By fluoroscopy, the tip of the endotracheal tube (ETT) was seen in the right mainstem bronchus in 18 patients (11.8%) and in a low position, defined as within 1 cm above the carina, in 29 patients (19.0%). All of the 18 patients with right mainstem intubation were children <120 mo of age, and 7 were infants <12 mo of age (Fisher's exact test; P = 0.013). The age, weight, and ETT size for children who had endobronchial and low tracheal positions were significantly (P < 0.001) less than for those who had midtracheal positions. The failure to diagnose mainstem intubation by auscultation alone may be related to the use of the Murphy eye ETT, which reduces the reliability of chest auscultation in detecting endobronchial intubation. Suggested measures for preventing endobronchial intubation include maintaining increased awareness of the imperfection or lack of accuracy of the auscultatory method, assessing insertion depth by checking the length scale on the tube, and minimizing the patient's head and neck movement after intubation. When extreme flexion or extension of the neck is expected after ETT insertion, the resultant change in ETT final position must be anticipated and taken into consideration when deciding on the depth of ETT insertion. This approach resulted in a decrease in improper tube positioning from 20% when the study was initiated to 7.1% in the last 98 patients.     

The Papworth BiVent tube: a new device for lung isolation

Provision of one lung ventilation can be technically challenging, particularly for anaesthetists who are only occasionally required to isolate one lung from the other. A new double lumen endotracheal tube, the Papworth BiVent Tube, has been designed to enable rapid and reliable lung isolation using any bronchus blocker without the need for fibreoptic endoscopic guidance. In this study, an airway-training manikin was used to assess ease of tracheal intubation and lung isolation using the Papworth BiVent tube. Ease of intubation was compared to a single lumen endotracheal tube and a conventional double lumen endobronchial tube. Ease of lung isolation when using a bronchus blocker was compared to a single lumen tube combined with a bronchial blocker. Tracheal intubation using the Papworth BiVent tube was found to be easier than when using a conventional double lumen endobronchial tube. Lung isolation using the Papworth BiVent tube used in combination with a bronchus blocker was achieved more reliably and rapidly than when using a single lumen tube and bronchus blocker.     

Identification of endotracheal tube malpositions using computerized analysis of breath sounds via electronic stethoscopes

Endotracheal tube (ETT) malpositioning into a mainstem bronchus or the esophagus may result in significant hypoxemia. Current methods to determine correct ETT position include auscultation, radiography, and bronchoscopy, although the current acceptable standard procedure for proper endotracheal (versus esophageal) intubation is detection of end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETco(2)) by capnography, capnometry, or colorimetric ETco(2) devices. Unfortunately, capnography may be unavailable or unreliable in nonhospital/emergency settings or in low cardiac output states, and it does not detect endobronchial intubation. The purpose of this study was to quantify and assess breath sound characteristics using electronic stethoscopes placed over each hemithorax and epigastrium to determine their ability to detect ETT malposition. We recorded breath sounds in 19 healthy, non-obese adults before general surgical procedures. After intubation of the trachea, the ETT was bronchoscopically positioned 3 cm above the carina, after which 3 breaths of 500 mL were given and breath sounds were recorded. A second ETT was placed in the esophagus and the same series of breaths and recordings were performed. Finally, the tracheal ETT was advanced into the right mainstem bronchus and breath sounds were recorded. Using computerized analysis, breath sounds were digitized and filtered to remove selected frequencies, and acoustic signals and energy ratios were obtained for all 3 positions. Total energy ratios using band-pass filtering of the acoustic signals accurately identified all esophageal and endobronchial intubation (P < 0.001). These preliminary results suggest that this technique, when incorporated into a 3-component, electronic stethoscope-type device, may be an accurate, portable mechanism to reliably detect ETT malposition in adults when ETco(2) may be unavailable or unreliable.     

Pulmonary atelectasis manifested after induction of anesthesia: a contribution of sinobronchial syndrome?

A 31-year-old man underwent general anesthesia for sinus surgery. Anesthesia was induced with midazolam and butorphanol, and an endotracheal tube was orally placed with a bronchoscope, due to difficulty with temporomandibular joint opening. Ventilation difficulty and increased peak inspiratory pressure were noticed shortly after tracheal intubation, and bronchoscopy was performed for diagnosis. The bronchi were filled with a clear mucous secretion. Removal of the secretion improved respiration and decreased the peak inspiratory pressure. A chest roentgenogram taken prior to extubation showed right upper lobe atelectasis. A diagnosis of sinobronchial syndrome was made postoperatively. The etiology of the acutely developed atelectasis was unclear. However, the latent syndrome may have induced excessive airway secretion with stimuli such as endotracheal intubation.     

Arterio-tracheal fistula during long-term intubation of an awake patient. Case report (author's transl)]

Because of anterior softening of the trachea due to thyroid swelling a patient was intubated with a "Lanz-" endotracheal tube with low-pressure cuff after thyroidectomy. The awake, eating patient developed severe endotracheal haemorrhage during the 17 days of intubation. Thoracotomy revealed a 2 cm long horizontal rupture probably at the site of the tube tip at the anterior wall of the trachea. The opening was connected to a rupture of the right brachiocephalic trunk at its bifurcation. Interpositions of dacron prostheses between the trunk, the subclavian artery and the carotid artery and suture of the tracheal wall controlled the situation. However, the patient died from acute hepatic failure, as shown at post-mortem examination. This case report is a warning against long-term intubation of awake patients, as sometimes recommanded.     

Überprüfung der korrekten Tubuslage in der Notfallmedizin

Maintaining patent airways with endotracheal intubation and ventilation is vitally important for emergency patients. Incorrect placement of the tube, be it unilateral intubation of one bronchus or incorrect positioning in the esophagus, leads to hypoxia and serious complications such as aspiration, stomach rupture, pneumonia, or tension pneumothorax. For checking the placement of the endotracheal tube, technical resources such as an esophageal detector device, capnometry, or capnography could provide confirmation of the clinical examination, ensuring that correct tube placement is always verified by two independent procedures. Both methods afford sufficient diagnostic reliability to avoid the above-mentioned risks to the patient.     

Preoperative evaluation of a tracheal bronchus by three-dimensional 64-row multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) bronchography and angiography: Report of a case

We performed successful surgery for lung cancer after confirming the anatomical abnormality of a tracheal bronchus by three-dimensional multidetector-row computed tomography (3D-MDCT) bronchography and angiography. Tracheal bronchus is unusual, and right upper lobectomy for lung cancer would rarely be performed in a patient with a tracheal bronchus. Most clinicians are unfamiliar with the anatomy of a right upper lobe that includes a tracheal bronchus. Preoperative 3D imaging of the tracheal bronchus and its related vessels familiarized us with the anatomy of this patient before the operation. Thus, we recommend preoperative 3DMDCT bronchography and angiography, especially for patients with a possible bronchial anomaly.     

Upper Lobectomy for Lung Cancer with True Tracheal Bronchus: A Unique Presentation

Tracheal bronchus is an aberrant bronchus usually originating from the right lateral wall of the trachea, with an incidence ranging from 0.1% to 5% and usually within 2.0cm above the carina. The incidence of lung cancer with bronchial anomaly is very rare. Only nine cases of lung cancer developing from the tracheal bronchus have been reported in literature. Histological examination showed squamous cell carcinoma in only three of them, and we present a fourth case, in a 57-year-old man. Interestingly, our patient's anomaly included both an absence of the right upper bronchus and the fact that the right upper lobe was ventilated by the true tracheal bronchus. This is the first documented case in the world of a squamous carcinoma originating in the true tracheal bronchus. Post-surgical histological stage was T2aN0M0 (stage IB). The patient is in a good condition 48 months after the operation and has no evidence of recurrence.     

Ballotability of cuff to confirm the correct intratracheal position of the endotracheal tube in the intensive care unit

The cuff ballotability method was used in 120 adult patients to confirm the correct depth of insertion of the endotracheal tube after tracheal intubation. The correct tube position was assumed when the cuff of the endotracheal tube could be felt to distend over the suprasternal notch when the pilot balloon was squeezed and the pilot balloon was felt to distend when pressure was applied over the suprasternal notch. Chest radiography was performed later to confirm the position of the endotracheal tube. In all patients the tip of the endotracheal tube was found to be in the desired position, i.e. 3-7 cm from the carina--the level of T3-T4 vertebrae. We concluded this technique to be a simple and reproducible way to confirm the correct depth of insertion of endotracheal tubes.