Bronchoscopy

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not-on-fire

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  1. Attending Physician
Any pearls from the group for sedation/airway management for EBUS cases? I'm a pulmonologist and so far I've only done them with a bite block and sedation with either fentanyl/midazolam or propofol (although I find that the larger doses of propofol almost always cause a great deal of upper airway obstruction). Except for one non-EBUS bronch with a LMA, which was a dream. Here, anesthesia does all sedation for bronchoscopies. My colleagues wanted a protected airway but they didn't have a large enough tube/LMA available for the case. What are you seeing/doing?
 
LMA is not going to protect the airway but will help with the upper airway obstruction
 
LMA is not going to protect the airway but will help with the upper airway obstruction

+1. Still, I've done and handful of bronchs via LMA (I have the residents scope an aintree thru an LMA as a conduit for intubation over the aintree to simulate a can't-intubate-cant-ventilate resuce), and i've had no problems passing the scope. We use LMA-brand "LMA-unique" and they work well.
 
Nasal airway under Mac w propofol. It ablates airway reflexes better stick some o2 down and call it a day
 
I strongly suggest that you have an anesthesiologist help you do your procedures so you can focus on doing what you need to do and he/she can make sure your patient stays alive.
 
I am happy to have anesthesiologists administer sedation/keep patient alive. However, I am asking what I can suggest to make things go more smoothly. What tools are people using? The EBUS scope can only fit through a size 8.5 ETT tube or higher, and the ETT makes it harder to access paratracheal nodes. It proved controversial to proceed with moderate sedation and a bite block in absence of sufficiently large ETT/LMA. I am distressed that some seem to hate doing bronchoscopy cases; I want to make it better. Thanks for the replies, I will see what we can get.
 
What is wrong with placing an 8.5 ETT? It is about the diameter of a double lumen tube.

I know, you aren't making that call.

- pod

Funny I do these with a 9.0 ETT, the EBUS bronch is bigger than a regular bronch and I don't have to use IV agents. Sometimes I use a sux or remi drip if they need help calming down. I think a 35Fr DLT is about a 10.0 ETT. A lot use some sort of supraglottic airway, I'll only use an LMA for upper trachea lesions. My pulmonologists are happy with this way and I am too.
 
Any pearls from the group for sedation/airway management for EBUS cases? I'm a pulmonologist and so far I've only done them with a bite block and sedation with either fentanyl/midazolam or propofol (although I find that the larger doses of propofol almost always cause a great deal of upper airway obstruction). Except for one non-EBUS bronch with a LMA, which was a dream. Here, anesthesia does all sedation for bronchoscopies. My colleagues wanted a protected airway but they didn't have a large enough tube/LMA available for the case. What are you seeing/doing?

I do them with LMA's. A size 4 is more than enough. Those things have a huge opening, just have to cut the slits at the end.

I don't understand how it doesn't fit. Are your bronching midgets, or do you use a horse ebus scope?
 
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Only average people with regular EBUS scope so far. Maybe I should have inspected the LMAs available myself. They said that it had not worked the week prior with same scope. I know for sure they didn't have larger than a 8 ETT.
 
Only average people with regular EBUS scope so far. Maybe I should have inspected the LMAs available myself. They said that it had not worked the week prior with same scope. I know for sure they didn't have larger than a 8 ETT.

Internal diameter of a LMA Unique size 4 is 10mm. No reason why it wouldn't fit.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/72148878/LMA-Airways-Manual

Just cut the slits and send for the next patient.
 
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