It is suggested that robotically assisted thoracic surgeries can potentially benefit patients, resulting in smaller incisions, improved postoperative pain control, reduced recovery time and shorter hospital stays. While such benefits are still debated, most providers agree that this technology poses unique challenges for physician anesthesiologists providing lung isolation and one-lung ventilation. One new technology – video double lumen endobronchial tubes (VDLT) – offers a promising solution.
The incidence of lung and esophageal disease is expected to increase in the future, prompting a growing number of robotic thoracic procedures.1 Unfortunately, the size and space constraints of using robotics interferes with the positioning of conventional double lumen endobronchial tubes (DLT), the standard of care for airway management. In particular, the position of the robot can make the patient’s airway inaccessible, especially when the patient is in the lateral position and the head may be turned 90 to 180 degrees away from...
