Airway Management for Central Airway and Transbronchial Lung Procedures

Purpose of Review: To highlight the interaction between the emerging and constantly evolving field of interventional pulmonology and the practice of anesthesiology. Recent Findings: The current field of interventional pulmonology encompasses diagnostic bronchoscopic procedures designed for both diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, diagnosis of the etiology of mediastinal lymphadenopathy as well as lung nodules, and therapeutic bronchoscopic procedures performed through the rigid bronchoscope. Modifications of the everyday anesthesia techniques used in the operating room are necessary to adapt to the type of patients undergoing the procedures and sharing the airway with the interventional pulmonologist. The choice of anesthesia medications, airway devices, and ventilation strategy can impact the success and the safety of the procedure. Summary: This review will discuss the available literature and highlight the common current practices used in large academic centers to manage procedures performed in the central airway, from the proximal end of the trachea to the furthest bronchoscopically accessible bronchi, and on peripheral lung nodules.