[Pathophysiology and clinical aspects of single lung ventilation]

There are absolute and strong relative indications for provision of one-lung ventilation. The knowledge of the special physiology of one-lung ventilation as well as of the factors influencing hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is necessary for adequate management of one-lung anaesthesia. Arterial hypoxaemia is a common complication of one-lung ventilation. Established techniques of treatment of hypoxaemia during one-lung ventilation are presented and several additional recent techniques are discussed.