Clinical Research Article : Anesthetic management of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in pediatric patients: the issue of safety in infant and younger children

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the safety issues concerning anesthetic management of videoassisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in pediatric patients. Methods: The medical records of 52 pediatric patients undergoing VATS using general anesthesia and one-lung ventilation (OLV) were reviewed. OLV was achieved with a Fogarty catheter (n=23) or endobronchial intubation (n=7) in patients < 10 years of age (group Y, n=30), and using a double-lumen tube (n=19) or a univent (n=3) in children aged between 10 and 16 years of age (group O, n=22). Hypoxemia, hypercarbia, the difference between ETCO2 and PaCO2, and the effect of CO2 insuffl ation were assessed. Results: A decrease in SpO2 less than 90% was observed in 40% of the group Y, compared to none of the group O (P 50 mmHg) was observed more frequently in group Y (40%) than in group O (0%; P