INDICATIONS
Absolute Indications
- Lung isolation
- Infection (prevent contamination of the non-affected lung)
- Pulmonary hemorrhage
- Control of the distribution of ventilation
- Bronchopleural fistula (to prevent air volume loss through the fistula)
- Bronchopleural cutaneous fistula (to prevent air volume loss through the fistula)
- Surgical opening of major conducting airway
- Giant unilateral cyst or bulla
- Life-threatening hypoxemia from unilateral pulmonary process
- Unilateral bronchopulmonary lavage
Relative Indications
- Surgical exposure (strong indication)
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm
- Pneumonectomy
- Upper lobectomy
- Mediastinal exposure
- Thoracoscopy
- Surgical exposure (moderate indication)
- Middle and lower lobectomy
- Subsegmental resection
- Esophageal resection
- Procedures on the thoracic spine
- Post-cardiopulmonary bypass status after removal of totally occluding chronic unilateral pulmonary emboli
- Severe hypoxemia from unilateral pulmonary process
- Requirement for differential ventilation for critical care
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Absolute Contraindications
- Patient refusal
- Airway (especially laryngeal or tracheal) mass that may be occluding, dislodged, traumatized, or hemorrhaging
Relative Contraindications
- Patients requiring rapid intubation to prevent aspiration of gastric contents
- Patients who are likely to be difficult to intubate
