Changes in the distance between carina and orotracheal tube during open or videolaparoscopic bariatric surgery

To examine whether there are changes in the distance between the orotracheal tube and carina induced by orthostatic retractor placement or by pneumoperitoneum insufflation in obese patients undergoing gastroplasty.

60 patients undergoing bariatric surgery by two techniques: open (G1) or videolaparoscopic (G2) gastroplasty were studied. After tracheal intubation, adequate ventilation of both hemitoraxes was confirmed by lung auscultation. The distance orotracheal tube-carina was estimated with the use of a fiber bronchoscope before and after installation of orthostatic retractors in G1 or before and after insufflation of pneumoperitoneum in patients in G2.

G1 was composed of 22 and G2 of 38 patients. No cases of endobronchial intubation were detected in either group. The mean orotracheal tube-carina distance variation was estimated in -0.03cm (95% CI 0.06 to -0.13) in the group of patients undergoing open gastroplasty and in -0.42cm (95% CI -0.56 to -1.4) in the group of patients undergoing videolaparoscopic gastroplasty. The extremes of variation in each group were: 0.5cm to -1.6cm in patients undergoing open surgery and 0.1cm to -2.2cm in patients undergoing videolaparoscopic surgery.

There was no significant change in orotracheal tube-CA distance after placement of orthostatic retractors in patients undergoing open gastroplasty. There was a reduction in orotracheal tube-CA distance after insufflation of pneumoperitoneum in patients undergoing videolaparoscopic gastroplasty. We recommend attention to lung auscultation and to signals of ventilation monitoring and reevaluation of orotracheal tube placement after peritoneal insufflation.