Airway Management in Thoracic Anesthesia: EACTAIC Consensus Document

This article is the third in a series of articles prepared as part of a comprehensive, international and professional society-approved consensus project to advise on thoracic anesthesia. It represents the views and structured opinions of experts delegated to the Airway Management Task Force of the Thoracic Subcommittee of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EACTAIC). This review highlights the main concepts and expert opinion of international leaders on the task of lung isolation and separation, as well as the current recommendations on the benefits and disadvantages of different devices in both routine and difficult airway scenarios. The consensus statement addresses the following main clinical topics and questions: (1) What are the overall goals and means of lung isolation and separation? (2) What are the best practices for using double-lumen tubes? (3) What is the role of alternative devices, specifically bronchial blockers? (4) What are the best practices for managing a difficult airway? (5) What are the recommendations for special cases? (6) What are the research priorities for thoracic anesthesia regarding airway management? The authors conclude with a brief reference to how these recommendations relate to the concepts of good clinical practice and enhanced recovery. The document was developed and formally evaluated by senior clinicians representing the core membership of the EACTAIC Thoracic Subcommittee from Europe, the United States, Africa, and the Middle East. Although the high-level evidence base is generally limited and significant controversies remain, all recommendations of the Task Force achieved an agreed (>60%), strong (>80%), or sometimes full (>95%) consensus. This consensus should serve as a consolidation of diverse practices of thoracic anesthesia and a starting point toward obtaining stronger evidence to further enhance our clinical practice in the future.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia
Published
2025-12-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jvca.2025.11.004
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Airway Management and Intubation Techniques
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.19
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article

Airway Management in Thoracic Anesthesia: EACTAIC Consensus Document

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1 citations
Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia
Airway Management and Intubation Techniques
2.19
article

Airway Management in Thoracic Anesthesia: EACTAIC Consensus Document

Marc Licker, Tamás Végh, Ross Hofmeyr, Vojislava Nešković, Jakob Wittenstein, Guido Di Gregorio, W. Karzai, Ricard Navarro‐Ripoll, Mohamed R. El Tahan, K. Lenartova, Mojca Drnovsek Globokar, Nándor Marczin, Marcus D. Lancé, María José Jimenez, Caroline Vanpeteghem, Edda Tschernko, Mert N. Senturk, Jannie Bisgaard, Manuel Granell, Massimiliano Sorbello, Boglárka Balla, Jo Mourisse, Izumi Kawagoe, Lorenzo Rösner, László Szegedi, Chirojit Mukherjee, Erik Lilja Secher, S Radu, Maria Martinez Alberici, Thomas Wasserscheid, Ion Daniela Iolanda
article en
1 citations

Abstract

This article is the third in a series of articles prepared as part of a comprehensive, international and professional society-approved consensus project to advise on thoracic anesthesia. It represents the views and structured opinions of experts delegated to the Airway Management Task Force of the Thoracic Subcommittee of the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EACTAIC). This review highlights the main concepts and expert opinion of international leaders on the task of lung isolation and separation, as well as the current recommendations on the benefits and disadvantages of different devices in both routine and difficult airway scenarios. The consensus statement addresses the following main clinical topics and questions: (1) What are the overall goals and means of lung isolation and separation? (2) What are the best practices for using double-lumen tubes? (3) What is the role of alternative devices, specifically bronchial blockers? (4) What are the best practices for managing a difficult airway? (5) What are the recommendations for special cases? (6) What are the research priorities for thoracic anesthesia regarding airway management? The authors conclude with a brief reference to how these recommendations relate to the concepts of good clinical practice and enhanced recovery. The document was developed and formally evaluated by senior clinicians representing the core membership of the EACTAIC Thoracic Subcommittee from Europe, the United States, Africa, and the Middle East. Although the high-level evidence base is generally limited and significant controversies remain, all recommendations of the Task Force achieved an agreed (>60%), strong (>80%), or sometimes full (>95%) consensus. This consensus should serve as a consolidation of diverse practices of thoracic anesthesia and a starting point toward obtaining stronger evidence to further enhance our clinical practice in the future.

Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular AnesthesiaVol. 40(4)
Military Medical Academy (RS), AOL (United States) (US), Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE), University of Debrecen (HU), Radboud University Nijmegen (NL), University of Cape Town (ZA), Outcomes Research Consortium (US), Università degli Studi di Enna Kore (IT), Clinical Emergency Hospital Bucharest (RO), Aalborg University Hospital (DK), Ghent University Hospital (BE), Ljubljana University Medical Centre (SI), Golden Jubilee National Hospital (GB), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CH), Vienna General Hospital (AT), University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (GB), Rigshospitalet (DK), Harefield Hospital (GB), Radboud University Medical Center (NL), Acıbadem University (TR), Juntendo University (JP), University of Belgrade (RS), Hospital Quirón Teknon (ES), Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena (DE), Aga Khan University Nairobi (KE), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (ES), CTO Andrea Alesini (IT), Hôpital Marie Lannelongue (FR), Hospital General Universitario De Valencia (ES), Jena University Hospital (DE), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Martinique (MQ), Helios Kliniken (DE), Metropolitana Milanese (Italy) (IT), Amsterdam University Medical Centers (NL), University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (DE), IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital (IT), Mersin Üniversitesi (TR), Istanbul University (TR), Medical University of Vienna (AT), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (SA)
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Airway Management and Intubation Techniques
2.19
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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