The use of lung ultrasonography to confirm lung isolation in an infant who underwent emergent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: a case report

Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound to Evaluate Lung Isolation During One-Lung Ventilation in Children: A Blinded Observational Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND

Minimally invasive thoracic surgical techniques require effective lung isolation using one-lung ventilation (OLV). Verification of lung isolation may be confirmed by auscultation, visual confirmation using fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB), or more recently, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). The aim of this study was to prospectively compare lung ultrasound with clinical auscultation to confirm OLV before thoracic surgery in pediatric patients.

METHODS

This prospectively blinded feasibility study included 40 patients ranging in age from 0 to 20 years. After confirmation of lung separation by the primary anesthesia team using FOB, the sonographer and the auscultator, both blinded to the laterality of surgery and lung separation, entered the operating room. The sonographer evaluated for pleural lung sliding and the auscultator listened for breath sounds. Successful lung separation was definitively confirmed by direct visualization of lung collapse during the operation.

RESULTS

In confirming effective single-lung ventilation, lung ultrasound had a diagnostic accuracy of 95% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.7%-98.5%). In contrast, auscultation could only reliably confirm lung isolation with 68% accuracy (95% CI, 51.5%-80.4%). The McNemar test showed a statistically significant difference between the use of lung ultrasound and auscultation (P < .001). The median time to perform ultrasonography was 67 seconds (interquartile range [IQR], 46-142) and the median time to perform auscultation was 21 seconds (IQR, 10-32).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the initial results of our feasibility trial, lung ultrasound proved to be a fast and reliable method to verify single-lung ventilation in pediatric patients presenting for thoracic surgery with a high degree of diagnostic accuracy.

Lung Ultrasound to Assess One Lung Ventilation: A Pediatric Case Series

Objectives: One lung ventilation (OLV) is the preferred ventilation technique for thoracoscopy as it provides a better exposure of the operative field and grants the protection of the healthy lung. Preoperative evaluation of lung exclusion is necessary and different methods are available. In recent years lung ultrasound (US) gained popularity and its use for monitoring the endotracheal tube position is widely reported. The existing evidence on adults addresses lung US as effective, yet only few data are available in children. Therefore, we present our experience with lung US as verification method for pediatric OLV. Methods: All patients undergoing OLV for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery from January 2019 to May 2021 and for whom lung exclusion was confirmed through lung US were involved. Lung exclusion was considered effective when absence of lung motion and presence of lung pulse were encountered. When lung US did not match these criteria, repositioning of the endobronchial device followed by US verification was performed. When lung US met the exclusion criteria surgery was started and direct thoracoscopic observation was used to verify lung exclusion. Results: A total of 20 patients, accounting for 22 procedures, were involved. Absence of lung motion and presence of lung pulse were assessed in the operative-side lung for all patients. Lung exclusion was confirmed through thoracoscopy. Postoperative lung US proved the reappearance of lung motion in the previously excluded lung. Conclusions: In our center experience lung US resulted to be a safe, effective, and time-saving verification method for OLV. Further studies are needed to define its sensitivity and specificity.

Anesthesia for thoracic surgery in infants and children

The management of infants and children presenting for thoracic surgery poses a variety of challenges for anesthesiologists. A thorough understanding of the implications of developmental changes in cardiopulmonary anatomy and physiology, associated comorbid conditions, and the proposed surgical intervention is essential in order to provide safe and effective clinical care. This narrative review discusses the perioperative anesthetic management of pediatric patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic surgery, beginning with the preoperative assessment. The considerations for the implementation and management of one-lung ventilation (OLV) will be reviewed, and as will the anesthetic implications of different surgical procedures including bronchoscopy, mediastinoscopy, thoracotomy, and thoracoscopy. We will also discuss pediatric-specific disease processes presenting in neonates, infants, and children, with an emphasis on those with unique impact on anesthetic management.

Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound to Evaluate Lung Isolation During One-Lung Ventilation in Children: Narrative Review

This review focuses on the current technique and evidence regarding the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to evaluate lung isolation for thorax surgery in infants and children. Previous reports in infants and children are presented. Figures and high-quality video are used to demonstrate the technique for POCUS in pediatric patients and to highlight differences between pediatric and patients. Lung sliding in B-mode and the seashore sign in M-mode suggest that the lung is ventilated. Pediatric anesthesiologists should be familiar with this technique as it is non-invasive and may also be more accurate when compared with auscultation.

Unmasking the Lung Pulse for Detection of Endobronchial Intubation

The ultrasound lung pulse for detecting endobronchial intubation was first described in 2003 in the only study to date assessing its accuracy. It refers to rhythmic movement of the visceral pleura along the stationary parietal pleura as cardiac vibrations transmit through a motionless, airless lung. Compared to delayed visualization on chest radiography, this artifact immediately detects physiologic atelectasis. There is a scarcity of studies assessing the lung pulse, while several others that encountered this artifact did not even identify it. The lung pulse is useful for immediate detection of endobronchial intubation, but it remains unrecognized and underused by physicians.

Lung sonography can improve the specificity of determination of left-sided double-lumen tracheal tube position in both novices and experts: a randomised prospective study

Objective

Lung sonography can be helpful to determine the position of a left-sided double-lumen tube (DLT). However, clinical experience is required for correct assessment. We investigated whether lung sonography can improve the diagnostic efficacy of determining the DLT position in novices and experts.

Methods

In this randomised prospective clinical study, 88 patients were allocated to two groups using auscultation or lung sonography for initial assessment of the DLT position. In each group, two repeated assessments were performed; the first was performed by a novice, and the second was performed by an expert. The final DLT position was confirmed by fibre-optic bronchoscopy. The primary outcome was the diagnostic efficacy (including overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity) in confirming the DLT position.

Results

In both the novices and experts, the specificity of determining the DLT position was significantly higher with lung sonography than auscultation (60.0% vs. 21.7% and 66.7% vs. 37.5%, respectively). Additionally, the predictability of an incorrect position was similar between the novices and experts using lung sonography (area under the curve of 0.665 and 0.690, respectively).

Conclusions

Lung sonography can improve the diagnostic efficacy of detecting an incorrect DLT position in both novices and experts.

[Will ultrasound replace the stethoscope?: a case report on neonatal one-lung ventilation]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

One-lung ventilation and selective intubation in neonates can be challenging due to intrinsic physiological specificities and material available. Ultrasound (US) is being increasingly used in many extents of anaesthesiology including confirmation of endotracheal tube position.

CASE REPORT

We present a case report of a neonate proposed for pulmonary lobectomy by thoracoscopy in which lung exclusion was confirmed by ultrasound.

CONCLUSION

US is a rapid, more sensitive and specific method than auscultation to evaluate tracheal intubation and lung exclusion.

Will ultrasound replace the stethoscope?: a case report on neonatal one-lung ventilation

Background and objectives

One-lung ventilation and selective intubation in neonates can be challenging due to intrinsic physiological specificities and material available. Ultrasound (US) is being increasingly used in many extents of anaesthesiology including confirmation of endotracheal tube position.

Case report

We present a case report of a neonate proposed for pulmonary lobectomy by thoracoscopy in which lung exclusion was confirmed by ultrasound.

Conclusion

US is a rapid, more sensitive and specific method than auscultation to evaluate tracheal intubation and lung exclusion.

Point-of-care lung ultrasound to evaluate lung isolation during one-lung ventilation in children: A case report

Minimally invasive thoracic surgical techniques require effective lung separation using one-lung ventilation (OLV). Verification of lung isolation may be confirmed by auscultation, visual confirmation using fiberoptic bronchoscopy, or more recently, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). We describe anecdotal experience with POCUS to guide OLV during robotic-assisted thoracic surgery in a child. Techniques to confirm thoracic separation are reviewed and potential advantages of POCUS discussed.

Ultrasound-guided perioperative management of 28-month-old patient with congenital diaphragmatic eventration

Diaphragmatic eventration is a rare anomaly. When patients with this condition undergo general anesthesia, anesthetic management should be performed with particular care owing to the risk of diaphragmatic rupture. Such a rupture can be perioperatively diagnosed using multiple tools including lung ultrasonography. This case report describes the anesthetic management of a male infant with osteochondroma in the distal ulna, presenting with diaphragmatic eventration on the right side.

A prospective randomized controlled double-blind study comparing auscultation and lung ultrasonography in the assessment of double lumen tube position in elective thoracic surgeries involving one lung ventilation at a tertiary care cancer institute

Background

As lung ultrasound (LUS) can be used to identify regional lung ventilation and collapse, we hypothesize that LUS can be better than auscultation in assessing lung isolation and determining double lumen tube (DLT) position.

Methods

A randomized controlled study was conducted in tertiary care cancer institute from November 2014 to December 2015, including 100 adult patients undergoing elective thoracic surgeries. Patients with tracheostomy, difficult airway and pleural-based pathologies were excluded. After anesthesia induction and DLT insertion, patients were randomized into group A (auscultation) and group B (LUS). Regional ventilation was assessed by experienced anesthesiologists using the respective method for each group. Final confirmation of DLT position with a bronchoscope was performed by a blinded anesthesiologist. Contingency tables were plotted to determine sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy for each method.

Results

Data from 91 patients were analyzed (group A = 47, group B = 44). Compared with auscultation, LUS had significantly higher sensitivity (94.1% vs. 73.3%, P = 0.010), PPV (57.1% vs. 35.5%, P = 0.044), NPV (93.8% vs. 75.0%, P = 0.018), accuracy (70.5% vs. 48.9%, P = 0.036) and required longer median time (161.5 vs. 114 s, P < 0.001) for assessment of DLT position. Differences in specificity (55.6% vs. 37.5%, P = 0.101) and area under curve (0.748; 95% CI: 0.604–0.893 vs. 0.554, 95% CI: 0.379–0.730; P = 0.109) were not significant.

Conclusions

Compared to auscultation, LUS is a superior method for assessing lung isolation and determining DLT position.