Hemoptysis after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) occasionally occurs, and has varying clinical
significance based upon amount of bleeding. Hemoptysis resulting in a clot and airway
obstruction is an extremely rare event found almost exclusively in the intensive care unit. We
describe a unique case of hemoptysis resulting in bronchial impaction from a clot requiring an
emergent return to CPB during valve replacement surgery. We used a rigid bronchoscope,
without an endotracheal tube, to facilitate airway patency in a patient with diffuse airway
bleeding after bronchial disimpaction to separate from CPB.

Background. This study was conducted to determine whether an alveolar recruitment
strategy (ARS) applied during two-lung ventilation (TLV) just before starting one-lung
ventilation (OLV) improves ventilatory efficiency.
Methods. Subjects were randomly allocated to two groups: (i) control group: ventilation with
tidal volume (VT) of 8 or 6 ml kg21 for TLV and OLV, respectively, and (ii) ARS group: same
ventilatory pattern with ARS consisting of 10 consecutive breaths at a plateau pressure of
40 and 20 cm H2O PEEP applied immediately before and after OLV. Volumetric capnography
and arterial blood samples were recorded 5 min (baseline) and 20 min into TLV, at 20 and
40 min during OLV, and finally 10 min after re-establishing TLV.
Results. Twenty subjects were included in each group. In all subjects, the airway
component of dead space remained constant during the study. Compared with baseline,
the alveolar dead space ratio (VDalv/VTalv) increased throughout the protocol in the
control but decreased in the ARS group. Differences in VDalv/VTalv between groups were
significant (P,0.001). Except for baseline, all PaO2 values in kPa (SD) were higher in the
ARS than in the control group (P,0.001), respectively [70 (7) and 55 (9); 33 (9) and 24
(10); 33 (8) and 22 (10); 70 (7) and 55 (10)].
Conclusions. Recruitment of both lungs before instituting OLV not only decreased alveolar
dead space but also improved arterial oxygenation and the efficiency of ventilation.
Keywords: lung, atelectasis; lung, gas exchange; surgery, thoracic; ventilation, dead space;
ventilation, one-lung ventilation

Objective. The authors sought to provide a snapshot of contemporary thoracic anesthetic practice in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Design. An online survey.
Setting. United Kingdom.
Participants. An invitation to participate was e-mailed to all members of the Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists.
Measurements and Main Results
A total of 132 responses were received; 2 were excluded because they did not originate from the United Kingdom. Values are number (percent).
Anesthetic Technique. The majority of respondents (109, 85%) maintain anesthesia with a volatile anesthetic agent, with a lesser proportion (20, 15%) reporting use of a total intravenous anesthetic technique. The majority of respondents (78, 61%) favor pressure control ventilation over volume control (50, 39%); just under half (57, 45%) report the routine use of positive end-expiratory pressure (median = 5 cmH2O [interquartile range (IQR), 4-5]). Fifty-two (40%) respondents report ventilating to a target tidal volume (median = 6 mL/kg [IQR, 5-7]). Most (114, 89%) respondents routinely ventilate with an FIO2 less than 1.0. Thoracic epidural blockade (TEB) is favored by nearly two thirds of respondents (80, 62%) compared with paravertebral block (39, 30%) and other analgesic techniques (10, 8%). Anesthesiologists favoring TEB are significantly less likely to prescribe systemic opioids (17, 21% v 39, 100% [p < 0.001]). Proponents of TEB are significantly more likely to “routinely” use vasopressor infusions both intra- and postoperatively (16, 20% v 0, 0% [p = 0.003] and 28, 35% v 4, 11% [p =0.013], respectively). Most respondents (127, 98%) report a double-lumen tube as their first choice. Many (82, 64%) report “rarely” using bronchial blockers. Conclusions. The authors hope this survey both provides interest and serves as a useful resource reflecting the current practice of thoracic anesthesia.