Comparison of conventional and fibreoptic-guided advance of left-sided double-lumen tube during endobronchial intubation

BACKGROUND Postoperative sore throat and airway injuries are relatively common after double-lumen tube (DLT) intubation. OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of fibreoptic-guided advance of DLT on postoperative sore throat and airway injuries associated with intubation. DESIGN A randomised controlled study. SETTING Tertiary hospital, Seongnam, Korea, from January 2018 to January 2019. PATIENTS One hundred twenty three patients undergoing one-lung ventilation with a left-side DLT were randomised into two groups: 62 in the conventional group and 61 in the fibreoptic-guided group. INTERVENTION After entering the glottis, the DLT was rotated left 90° and advanced blindly into the left main bronchus in the conventional group. In the fibreoptic-guided group, DLT was advanced into the main bronchus under the guide of fibreoptic bronchoscope, which had been passed through the bronchial lumen and inserted into the left main bronchus. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was postoperative sore throat at 24 h after operation. The airway injuries were also examined using a bronchoscope during extubation. RESULTS At postoperative 24 h, the fibreoptic-guided group showed lower pain score ( P = 0.001) and lower incidence (risk ratio [95% CI]: 0.2 [0.1 to 0.5], P < 0.001) of sore throat, compared with the conventional group. Moreover, tracheal injury was more severe in the conventional group than in the fibreoptic group ( P = 0.003). Vocal cord injuries also occurred less frequently in the fibreoptic-guided group (risk ratio [95% CI]: 0.4 [0.2 to 1.0], P = 0.036). CONCLUSION The fibreoptic-guided advancement seems to reduce irritation to the airway, leading less postoperative complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, registration number: NCT03368599.