Background Thoracotomy is associated with severe postoperative pain. Pain developing after thoracotomy causes lung infections, inability to expel secretions, and atelectasis as a result of deep breathing. Effective management of acute pain after thoracotomy may prevent these complications. A multimodal approach to analgesia is widely employed by thoracic anesthetists using a combination of regional anesthetic blockade and systemic analgesia, with both non-opioid and opioid medications and local anesthesia blockade. Nowadays, regional anesthesia techniques such as thoracic epidural paravertebral block (PVB), erector spinae plane block (ESPB), and serratus plane block are frequently used to prevent pain after thoracotomy. In this study, we compared paravertebral block with erector spinae block for pain relief after thoracotomy. Our primary aim was to determine whether there was a difference between postoperative opioid consumption and pain scores. We also compared the two regional anesthesia techniques in terms of intraoperative hemodynamic data and postoperative complications. Methodology Patients aged between 18 and 75 years with an American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status I-III and scheduled for elective thoracotomy were included in the study. Using www.randomizer.org, patients were divided into two different groups, namely, ESPB and PVB. All patients were provided with a patient-controlled analgesia device preloaded with morphine. Postoperative 24-hour morphine consumptions were recorded. Results Data from 45 patients were used in the final analyses. Morphine consumption was higher in the ESPB group than in the PVB group at 24 hours postoperatively (19.2 ± 4.26 mg and 16.2 ± 2.64 mg, respectively; p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in numerical rating scale scores both at rest and with coughing (p > 0.05). Intraoperative heart rates were similar between groups. However, mean intraoperative blood pressure was significantly lower in the PVB group at 30 minutes (p < 0.05). Nausea and vomiting were observed in two patients in the ESPB group and one patient in the PVB group. The complication of nausea and vomiting was not statistically significant between the two groups (p > 0.05). Catastrophic complications such as hematoma, pneumothorax, and local anesthetic systemic toxicity were not observed in either group. Conclusions We found that patients who underwent PVB consumed less morphine postoperatively than patients who underwent ESPB. However, we did not observe any difference in pain scores between both groups. We think that ESPB can be considered a reliable method in thoracotomy surgery due to its ease of application and the fact that the place where the block is technically performed is farther from the central structures compared to PVB. In light of the results of our study, ESPB can be used as an alternative to PVB, which has been proven as postoperative analgesia in thoracic surgery.

One-lung ventilation (OLV) during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) can be accomplished through several different techniques, including bronchial advancement of an endotracheal tube (ETT), use of a double-lumen tube (DLT), or placement of an endobronchial blocker. In most cases, a DLT is a mainstay of isolating and ventilating a single lung during cardiothoracic procedures. The reasons to deploy a DLT over other techniques include ease of placement, less chance of malposition, quick placement time, and quality of lung deflation. However, this case report highlights the importance of a bronchial blocker in a patient where a double-lumen tube failed to ventilate the lungs. Briefly, this young female patient had a right thoracic mass associated with ipsilateral lung collapse and moderate pleural effusion. CT-guided biopsy was planned but was deferred by the radiologist, as the patient was unable to lie in a prone position. The case was then referred to the cardiothoracic surgeon who planned a right VATS and biopsy of the lesion. In the operation theater, after induction of anesthesia, the patient could not be ventilated through a DLT, and high peak airway pressures were encountered. Initially, a size 37 left-sided DLT was used, and subsequently, sizes 35, 32, and 28 were also tried, but all these attempts to ventilate the patient remained futile. A bronchoscopy was done, which did not show any abnormality in the airway. The surgery was postponed due to an inability to ventilate the patient with a double-lumen tube. After a repeat CT scan and draining of 9.3 liters of pleural effusion over a week, the patient was again scheduled for the same procedure but with a changed anesthetic plan. This time around, the anesthetic plan was implemented successfully using a bronchial blocker to isolate the right lung. The surgery went ahead, and the patient had an uneventful postoperative period. The anesthetic management of this patient presented a unique set of challenges, which are shared in this case report.

Tracheal bronchus (TB) occurs in 0.1-3% of the population as an accessory bronchus that originates in the trachea, typically supplying the right upper lobe. The presence of a TB can pose unique airway challenges, particularly during procedures that require lung isolation. Here, we describe a case of TB with difficult lung isolation. Careful examination with fiberoptic bronchoscopy permitted double lumen tube positioning without obstruction of the TB. A second case is presented where the presence of TB did not affect anesthetic management. Implications of TB for airway management and strategies for successful one-lung ventilation are discussed.

With our population getting older and sicker, we are witnessing a steady increase in the volume of cardiothoracic procedures performed. As the role of anesthesiologists continues to shift towards being perioperative physicians, it is crucial to tailor the anesthetic to manage the surgical pain in both intraoperative and postoperative periods. In cardiac surgery, poorly controlled surgical pain can lead to opioid-induced hyperalgesia as well as chronic pain syndrome. As current practice encourages early extubation and decreased length of stay, clinicians have increasingly steered away from heavy intraop narcotic therapy over the past two decades. To blunt the sympathetic response and postoperative pain control, some have been using various fascial plane nerve blocks to reduce opioid use during surgery. These blocks are considered very safe to perform and do not lead to hemodynamic changes seen in neuraxial blockades. In this review article, we provide a brief overview of each of the commonly used blocks and summarize and discuss the latest clinical data for each of the common blocks and their efficacy in the setting of cardiothoracic surgery.

A 32-year-old male with morbid obesity presented to the emergency department with a one-week history of shortness of breath and productive cough. This patient had previously been evaluated at an urgent care facility, diagnosed with pneumonia, and prescribed oral antibiotics. This patient\'s worsening shortness of breath and productive cough led this patient to seek further care at the emergency department. Chest radiography revealed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with an empyema in the right pleural space. He was admitted to the intensive care unit and subsequently intubated due to severely compromised cardiopulmonary function. The patient then underwent irrigation of the chest cavity and chest tube placement for drainage of the right-sided empyema. Surgical cultures revealed growth of Streptococcus anginosus and appropriate antibiotics were started. The patient\'s pulmonary function continued to deteriorate and this patient was placed on venous to venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO). Due to continued respiratory failure and a persistent air leak, a double-lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) was exchanged to initiate one-lung ventilation (OLV) to optimize ventilation and protect the lung containing the empyema. Over the following days, worsening leukocytosis and atelectasis were noted upon imaging prompting cardiothoracic surgery to return to the operating room to perform a right posterolateral thoracotomy and full right lung decortication. The procedure was successful and a bronchopleural fistula (BPF) was observed, secondary to the necrotizing pneumonia. The observation of the fistula explained the persistent air leak and issues maintaining adequate oxygenation. OLV through a DLT was continued over the following days, and the patient\'s pulmonary status and leukocytosis ultimately began to improve over the next two weeks. This patient was then able to be weaned off the EMCO device and was extubated. The patient was stabilized and discharged to a rehabilitation facility for further recovery. This case highlights how the use of lung isolation techniques were essential in the recovery of this patient with an estimated 50% mortality rate due to significant pulmonary injury from necrotizing pneumonia and complicated by a BPF.

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