Comparison of one-lung ventilation and high-frequency ventilation in thoracoscopic surgery

Objective: To report our experience of the use of high frequency ventilatio n (HFV)in thoracoscopic surgery. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Subjects: 31 patients (18 men and 13 women, mean age 42 years, range 26-67 years) who underwent 46 thoracoscopic procedures between January 1992 and D ecember 1997. Interventions: Until October 1994 patients had conventional mechanical vent ilation with a double-lumen tube. Since then HFV has been used. Main outcome measures: Duration of induction, oxygen saturation, and end-ti dal carbon dioxide tension. Results: 25 procedures were done with a double-lumen endotracheal tube for one-lung ventilation and in 21 HFV was used. Induction of anaesthesia took significantly less time in the HFV group (median 14 minutes) compared with one-lung ventilation group (median 31 minutes) (p < 0.05). There were no si gnificant differences between the groups in either SaO(2) or end-tidal CO2. Conclusion: HFV is both safe and simple for use in thoracoscopic surgery.