Infraglottic versus supraglottic jet-ventilation for endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration: A randomised controlled trial

Effectiveness and Safety of Superimposed High-Frequency Jet Ventilation in Rigid Bronchoscopy: A Single-Center, Retrospective Study

Introduction: Superimposed high-frequency jet ventilation (SHFJV) is a new type of jet ventilation, but its safety and effectiveness in rigid bronchoscopy have not been fully verified, especially in patients with airway stenosis and preoperative cardiovascular disease. This study is intended to retrospectively analyze the effectiveness and safety of SHFJV in the endobronchial treatment under rigid bronchoscopy. Methods: A total of 363 patients were included in this study. They were divided into 2 groups: Group A (n = 176)-presence of airway stenosis; Group B (n = 187)-absence of airway stenosis. Mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and pulse oxygen saturation were recorded before anesthesia and during the procedure. Arterial blood gases was recorded before anesthesia, at the end of the procedure and second-day postoperation respectively. The duration of procedure, extubation time, length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), length of postoperative hospitalization, incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications as well as 30 day mortality were also recorded. Results: All the patients had stable circulation during the procedure, including that with preoperative cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. There were no substantial differences observed in terms of extubation time, PACU stay, and postoperative hospital days. Patients with severe preoperative airway stenosis exhibited longer procedure duration compared to those with mild to moderate stenosis, but there was no difference noted in terms of the extubation and PACU time. Conclusion: SHFJV is effective and safe in the endobronchial treatment for patients with airway stenosis and preoperative cardiovascular disease. It can serve as an ideal airway management strategy for rigid bronchoscopy.

Guidelines for endobronchial ultrasound-transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA): Joint Indian Chest Society (ICS)/Indian Association for Bronchology (IAB) recommendations

Over the past decade, endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has become an indispensable tool in the diagnostic armamentarium of the pulmonologist. As the expertise with EBUS-TBNA has evolved and several innovations have occurred, the indications for its use have expanded. However, several aspects of EBUS-TBNA are still not standardized. Hence, evidence-based guidelines are needed to optimize the diagnostic yield and safety of EBUS-TBNA. For this purpose, a working group of experts from India was constituted. A detailed and systematic search was performed to extract relevant literature pertaining to various aspects of EBUS-TBNA. The modified GRADE system was used for evaluating the level of evidence and assigning the strength of recommendations. The final recommendations were framed with the consensus of the working group after several rounds of online discussions and a two-day in-person meeting. These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations encompassing indications of EBUS-TBNA, pre-procedure evaluation, sedation and anesthesia, technical and procedural aspects, sample processing, EBUS-TBNA in special situations, and training for EBUS-TBNA.

Safety application of muscle relaxants and the traditional low-frequency ventilation during the flexible or rigid bronchoscopy in patients with central airway obstruction: a retrospective observational study

Background

Bronchoscopy treatments of central airway obstruction (CAO) under general anesthesia are high-risky procedures, and posing a giant challenge to the anesthesiologists. We summarized and analyzed our clinical experience in patients with CAO undergoing flexible or rigid bronchoscopy, to estimate the safety of skeletal muscle relaxants application and the traditional Low-frequency ventilation.

Methods

Clinical data of 375 patients with CAO who underwent urgent endoscopic treatments in general anesthesia from January 2016 to October 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The use ratio of skeletal muscle relaxants, dose of skeletal muscle relaxants used, the incidence of perioperative adverse events, adequacy of ventilation and gas exchange, post-operative recovery between rigid bronchoscopy and flexible bronchoscopy therapy, and risk factors for postoperative ICU admission were evaluated.

Results

Of the 375 patients with CAO, 204 patients were treated with flexible bronchoscopy and 171 patients were treated with rigid bronchoscopy. Muscle relaxants were used in 362 of 375 patients (including 313 cisatracurium, 45 rocuronium, 4 atracurium, and 13 unrecorded). The usage rate of muscle relaxants (96.5% in total) was very high in patients with CAO who underwent either flexible bronchoscopy (96.6%) or rigid bronchoscopy (96.5%) therapy. The dosage of skeletal muscle relaxants (Cisatracium) used was higher in rigid bronchoscopy compared with flexible bronchoscopy therapy (10.8 ± 3.8 VS 11.6 ± 3.6 mg, respectively, p < 0.05). No patient suffered the failure of ventilation, bronchospasm and intraoperative cough either in flexible or rigid bronchoscopy therapy. Hypoxemia was occurred in 13 patients (8 in flexible, 5 in rigid bronchoscopy) during the procedure, and reintubation after extubation happened in 2 patients with flexible bronchoscopy. Sufficient ventilation was successfully established using the traditional Low-frequency ventilation with no significant carbon dioxide accumulation and hypoxemia occurred both in flexible and rigid bronchoscopy group (p > 0.05). Three patients (1 in flexible and 2 in rigid) died, during the post-operative recovery, and the higher grade of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and obvious dyspnea or orthopnea were the independent risk factors for postoperative ICU admission.

Conclusion

The muscle relaxants and low-frequency traditional ventilation can be safely used both in flexible and rigid bronchoscopy treatments in patients with CAO. These results may provide strong clinical evidence for optimizing the anesthesia management of bronchoscopy for these patients.