[Anaesthesiological Concepts in Interventional Bronchoscopy - Current Strategies and Anaesthesiological Challenges]

As lung cancer screening is now covered by statutory health insurance and with the goal of early cancer detection, the number of diagnostic and interventional bronchoscopic procedures is expected to increase substantially - in order to facilitate timely treatment and improve patient survival. This trend underscores the growing importance of evidence-based anaesthesiological management in interventional bronchoscopy.This review summarises current anaesthetic strategies, oxygenation and ventilation techniques, and the monitoring modalities used in interventional bronchoscopy. The review critically appraises the available evidence regarding safety, risk profiles, and procedural outcomes.While diagnostic bronchoscopy is commonly performed under local anaesthesia, with or without moderate sedation to improve patient comfort, modern interventional bronchoscopy imposes significantly higher demands on anaesthetic care. Increasingly complex and invasive procedures, such as transbronchial cryobiopsy, airway stent implantation, and endobronchial tumour ablation, require tailored approaches to analgesia, anaesthesia, airway management, and respiratory support, in order to ensure procedural success and patient safety. The shared airway necessitates close interdisciplinary collaboration and the continuous maintenance of adequate oxygenation and ventilation throughout the intervention.Anaesthetic strategies range from various levels of procedural sedation to general anaesthesia with neuromuscular blockade. Airway management options include augmented spontaneous breathing, supraglottic airway devices, infraglottic techniques such as rigid bronchoscopy, endotracheal tubes, and specialised catheters for jet ventilation. In addition to conventional oxygen supplementation, established respiratory support modalities include high-flow nasal oxygen therapy, controlled mechanical ventilation, and jet ventilation, which may be selected or combined - depending on procedural and patient-specific requirements.Individually adapted anaesthetic concepts are essential for minimising procedural complications and optimising outcomes. This requires structured pre-interventional interdisciplinary evaluation and the implementation of standardised peri-interventional strategies. The choice of anaesthetic technique should be individualised, considering patient-related risk factors, comorbidities, underlying pulmonary pathology, and the type and invasiveness of the bronchoscopic procedure.