Anaesthesia for thoracoscopic surgery

The surgical requirement for thoracoscopy is a good view of the contents of the thorax. This is achieved by capitalizing on natural consequences and the skills of anaesthesiologists to produce a pneumothorax and collapse the ipsilateral lung--a process that is commonly enhanced by insufflating carbon dioxide. Insufflating CO2 to actively promote lung collapse creates the dynamics of a tension pneumothorax. Complications are clinically insignificant if CO2 is used judiciously. There is a body of experience using ordinary endotracheal tubes and two-lung ventilation. Techniques of one-lung ventilation are more widely reported. All the factors known to contribute to the significant increase in shunt fraction associated with one-lung ventilation apply. The manoeuvre of collapsing a lung is no longer regarded as benign. Chemical attempts to produce a reversible post-pneumonectomy pulmonary circulation have not been shown to be an improvement. Post-operative pain can be severe. The mechanism is not defined but it differs from that associated with thoracotomy. Epidural analgesia and opioids may be required. Chronic pain syndromes have been described as complications.