Ventilation catheter-assisted airway stenting under local anaesthesia for patients with airway stenosis: initial clinical experience

This report details our preliminary results of ventilation catheter-assisted airway stenting under local anaesthesia for airway stenosis.

Fifteen consecutive patients with airway stenosis underwent ventilation catheter-assisted airway stenting under local anaesthesia. A 4F angiographic catheter was used as the ventilation catheter. During the treatment, the distal tip of the ventilation catheter was placed across the stenosis into one of the main bronchi and the proximal tip of the catheter was linked to the oxygen tube for oxygen supplementation. Airway stenting was performed under ventilation support. Patients maintained autonomous respiration throughout the procedures. Data on technical success, clinical outcome and follow-up were collected and analysed.

Ventilation catheter-assisted airway stenting under local anaesthesia was technically successful and well tolerated in all patients. Respiratory difficulty was improved in all patients after treatment. The average Hugh-Jones classification grade, arterial oxygen saturation value, and respiratory rate improved from 4.20 ± 0.68, 80.60 ± 3.83%, and 30.33 ± 2.02 times/min, respectively, before stenting to 1.47 ± 0.52 (P < 0.001), 94.93 ± 1.33% (P < 0.001), and 18.07 ± 1.33 times/min (P < 0.001), respectively, after stenting. After 2-11 months (average 5.73 ± 2.40 months) of follow-up, one patient experienced re-stenosis of the stent. The mean survival time of the 15 patients was 162.00 ± 71.60 days (range 55-320 days).

Ventilation catheter-assisted airway stenting under local anaesthesia can be an effective, simple and safe method for airway stenosis.