Insertion Depth of Left-sided Double-lumen Tube: a New Predictive Formula

Accurate placement of the double-lumen tube \[DLT\], the commonly used tool to provide one-lung ventilation during thoracic surgery, is a real challenge for the thoracic anesthesiologists. Optimal DLT depth, defined as the blue endobronchial cuff below the carina, would decrease the incidence of obstructing the trachea and the contralateral bronchus (Brodsky). Additionally, deep insertion of the bronchial cuff of the DLT would obstruct the upper lobe bronchus (Brodsky). The careful adjustment of the depth and optimal positioning of the DLT using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope need a skilled anesthesiologist to reduce the time to DLT intubation. (Charles D. Boucek et al) There are several methods have been described to predict the proper depth of DLT insertion. Chow et al. documented the validity of the developed formula based on the clavicular-to-carinal distance of trachea and height in 78% of patients studied. Brodsky et al. demonstrated that a height-and-gender-based formula could predict the depth of DLT insertion. Liu et al. reported an accurate depth of DLT insertion in 90% of patients studied measuring the distance between the vocal cord and carina according to the chest CT.