Introduction An airway stent is a prosthesis inserted to maintain intraluminal integrity of a compromised conducting airway, which can consist of either relief from airway obstruction or restoration of patency of the airway, such as in the case of fistulas…
Clinical Case A 17-year-old male with cystic fibrosis (CF), pancreatic insufficiency and steatorrhea and severely compromised respiratory function was evaluated for lung transplantation. An episode of bowel obstruction when he was 15 years old required a laparotomy. During the months…
Introduction Over the past 3 decades, the world has experienced an obesity epidemic. Obesity is increasing rapidly in almost every part of the world; overweight and obesity rates are higher in the United States than in any other developed country.…
Hemoptysis Key Points Severe hemoptysis is a life-threatening medical emergency. Careful systematic workup is needed to identify the origin and reason for hemoptysis. The anesthesiologist should play an important role in identifying the severity and origin of hemoptysis, initiation first-aid…
Introduction Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder affecting the neuromuscular junction for which patients commonly undergo surgical thymectomy as definitive treatment. It is therefore of great significance to the thoracic anesthesiologist. It is a chronic disorder characterized by fluctuating…
Introduction Thoracic spine surgery can be performed from anterior, posterior, or combined approaches. Selection of the appropriate surgical approach depends on the optimal surgical procedure for the patient, the complexity of intervention to be performed, the location and extent of…
Introduction Fistula formation in the airway may be broadly defined as any defect that allows pathologic communication between the respiratory tract and an adjacent structure. The type of airway fistula is determined by which section of the tracheobronchial tree and…
Introduction Esophageal surgery in adults is associated with a high perioperative morbidity (52%) and mortality (12%). Postoperative complications are mainly pulmonary with an incidence of up to 52%, which significantly reduces the short- and long-term survival of patients. Although patient-specific…
Introduction Although many disease states result in severe lung disease, lung transplantation remains the only definitive therapy. Because of heterogeneity in underlying disease states, and significant cardiopulmonary manifestations of lung disease, lung transplantation procedures carry significant risk, and careful planning…
Introduction Anesthetic management of the patient who requires surgical resection of a portion of the large airways continues to challenge the skills of even the most experienced anesthesiologist. The large airways, including the trachea, carina, and major bronchi, can harbor…