Observational studyBMC anesthesiology2026
Factors associated with selective fiberoptic bronchoscopy use after left double-lumen tube placement.
Observational study in BMC anesthesiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND/
aimFiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) is considered the gold standard for confirming correct placement of left-sided double-lumen tubes (LDLTs) during thoracic anesthesia. However, routine FOB use is not always feasible in high-volume centers, and selective strategies are frequently adopted. This study aimed to identify factors associated with the need for selective intraoperative FOB following conventional LDLT placement in a high-volume thoracic anesthesia practice where FOB is not routinely used.
methodsThis retrospective observational study was conducted in a high-volume tertiary thoracic surgery center over a 3.5-year period (July 2017 to January 2021). Adult patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery with LDLT placement were reviewed. FOB was not used routinely and was performed only when clinical findings suggested possible tube malposition. Patients were categorized according to intraoperative FOB requirement. Controls were randomly selected in a 1:2 ratio. Demographic, clinical, surgical, and operator-related variables were evaluated. Binary logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of FOB requirement.
resultsAmong 2155 eligible patients, FOB was required in 152 (7.05%); 136 patients with complete data were analyzed. Compared with controls (n = 272), patients requiring FOB more frequently had higher body weight, higher body mass index, smaller LDLT size, and procedures performed by less experienced anesthesiologists. In multivariable analysis, anesthesiologist experience remained the only independent predictor of FOB requirement: procedures performed by anesthesiologists with < 1 year (OR 6.77; 95% CI 3.66–12.52; p < 0.001) and 1–5 years of experience (OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.43–4.60; p = 0.001) were associated with increased FOB use. The most common indications for FOB were pressure and/or volume incompatibility and unexpected desaturation, with malposition most frequently corrected via the tracheal lumen.
conclusionIn thoracic anesthesia practices where routine FOB is not available, a selective, experience-guided FOB strategy appears appropriate. Anesthesiologist experience is the primary determinant of intraoperative FOB requirement following LDLT placement, whereas patient- and procedure-related factors do not independently predict the need for bronchoscopy. A lower threshold for FOB use should be considered when LDLT placement is performed by less experienced anesthesiologists.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.