Practice patterns for maintaining airway stents deployed for malignant central airway obstruction

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Interventional Pulmonology
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Airway stent placement is a common procedure.
• Complications associated with airway stents are well-documented.
• Optimal methods for airway stent surveillance and maintenance remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate current practice patterns among interventional pulmonologists regarding airway stent maintenance.
• To identify variability in surveillance schedules and management protocols for airway stents.

Main Methods:

• Prospective survey of members of the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (AABIP) and attendees at their annual meeting (Chest 2008).
• Analysis of survey responses from 62 interventional pulmonologists regarding their practices for airway stent surveillance and maintenance.

Main Results:

• Significant variability exists in the medications and surveillance schedules used for airway stent maintenance.
• Less than 50% of respondents reported having a protocolized postplacement management plan for airway stents.
• Half of experienced interventional pulmonologists surveyed lacked a defined protocol for stent surveillance or maintenance.

Conclusions:

• Current practices for airway stent surveillance and maintenance show considerable variability among interventional pulmonologists.
• There is a lack of consistent, standardized protocols for monitoring and preventing airway stent failure.
• Further research is necessary to establish evidence-based best practices for postdeployment surveillance and maintenance of airway stents.