A novel technique for one-lung ventilation in children with unilateral atelectasis

It is very difficult to perform differential lung ventilation (DLV) in children with unilateral atelectasis, especially small children. We aimed to introduce a novel technique, one-lung ventilation with a single-lumen tube with a side hole (SH-SL-OLV), to perform DLV in this setting. This retrospective, observational, and analytic study enrolled 21 children with unilateral atelectasis admitted to the PICU. The children were treated with one-lung ventilation with a single-lumen tube (SL-OLV) or SH-SL-OLV.A total of 8 children underwent 45 SL-OLV sessions, and 13 children underwent 23 SH-SL-OLV sessions. Before treatment, no significant between-group difference was present in FiO 2 , P/F ratio, and PCO 2 . However, during OLV, FiO 2 and PCO 2 were significantly lower, while the P/F ratio and the duration hours of OLV were significantly higher in the SH-SL-OLV group than in the SL-OLV group. SH-SL-OLV is an innovative technique for the treatment of unilateral atelectasis in children. SH-SL-OLV can improve atelectasis and reduce the risk of hypoxemia and hypercapnia during OLV.