Accidental Entrapment of an Endo-Bronchial Blocker Tip by a Surgical Stapler During Selective Ventilation for Lung Lobectomy in a Dog OLIVIER L. LEVIONNOIS, DVM, ALESSANDRA BERGADANO, DVM, Dr Med Vet, Diplomate ECVA, and URS SCHATZMANN, Prof, Dr Med Vet, FVH, Diplomate ECVA Objective—To describe the use of an endobronchial blocker (EBB) and to perform selective ven- tilation during pulmonary lobe resection via thoracotomy in a dog and report its accidental stapling in the resection site. Study Design—Clinical case report. Animal—One female dog with a suspected abscess or neoplasia of the right caudal pulmonary lobe. Methods—One-lung ventilation was performed using a wire-guided EBB to seal the contaminated parenchyma and facilitate surgical access. The affected lung parenchyma was resected and the resection site was closed with staples. Results—Lobar resection was performed successfully, but the loop of the EBB guide wire was inadvertently entrapped in the staple line of the lobectomy. Staples were removed to release the wire loop, and the resulting air leak caused loss of ventilation control until the parenchyma was re-sealed. Conclusions—We recommend removing the wire guide associate with the EBB after successful lung separation to avoid accidents that could have life-threatening consequences if not recognized. Clinical Relevance—One-lung ventilation is useful to isolate healthy parenchyma from diseased parenchyma during lobectomy. Anesthesiologists and surgeons need to be aware of the potential complications associated with use of EBB. r Copyright 2006 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons INTRODUCTION O NE-LUNG VENTILATION allows isolation and immobilization of one lung or of a selected part of the lung. Although not routinely used in veterinary an- esthesia, this technique should be considered to protect healthy lung from contamination or to maintain gas ex- change during surgical intervention for some diseases (e.g., pulmonary abscess, neoplasia, massive hemorrhage, airway fistula, life-threatening unilateral lung disease). Improved surgical access is considered a relative indica- tion but has gained acceptance among human thoracic surgeons and anesthetists, particularly in small patients. Endobronchial blockers (EBB) have been successfully used in dogs to seal a part of the lung 1–5 and tend to be more suitable in veterinary patients compared with the use of double-lumen endotracheal tubes. We reported management of endobronchial blockade used during thoracotomy for a lung lobe resection in a dog to isolate the contaminated airways from the healthy lung, to improve surgical exposure of the lung lobe. Fur- ther, we describe a complication and its management that Address reprint requests to Olivier L. Levionnois, DVM, Division of Anesthesiology, Department of clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse University, Faculty of Berne, La¨ nggassstrasse 124, CH-3012, Switzerland. E-mail: olivier.levionnois@kkh.unibe.ch. Submitted March 2005; Accepted August 2005 From the Division of Anesthesiology, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse University, Faculty of Berne, La¨ nggassstrasse, Switzerland. r Copyright 2006 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons 0161-3499/04 doi:10.1111/j.1532-950X.2005.00116.x 82 Veterinary Surgery 35:82–85, 2006