Double-lumen endobronchial tube

Relative indications include the collapse of one lung and the selective ventilation of the remaining lung in order to facilitate exposure of the anatomical structures to be operated on in thoracic surgeries, such as the repair of a thoracic aortic aneurysm, pneumonectomy or lobectomy.

The first double-lumen tube used for bronchospirometry and later for one-lung anaesthesia in humans was introduced by Carlens in 1949.

[1] These allow single-lung ventilation while the other lung is collapsed to make Thoracic surgery easier or possible.

The deflated lung is re-inflated as surgery finishes to check for leakages or other injuries.

Proper placement of DLTs requires considerable clinical experience, various techniques for their insertion having been developed.