A Comparison of the Reliability of Two Techniques of Left Double-Lumen Tube Bronchial Cuff Inflation in Producing Water-Tight Seal of the Left Mainstem Bronchus

Abstract

Water-tight sealing of the left bronchus by DLT bronchial cuff was tested after cuff inflation using two different techniques. Neither air-tight bronchial seal nor cuff pressure of 25 cm H2O guaranteed protection against aspiration. The risk of aspiration was greatest when the DLT was positioned in the dependent lung and when the bronchial cuff volume was < 1 mL.