One-lung flooding for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in animal experiments on pigs--oxygenation and intrapulmonary shunt.

Unilateral flooding of the lung after intubation with a double-lumen tube makes intraoperative sonography of the lung during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery possible. After flooding with 15 ml/kg, the arterial partial oxygen pressure (with FiO2=1.0) is higher than that in total atelectasis by about 100 mmHg, while it is only slightly less than that during bilateral lung ventilation. Compared to total atelectasis, lung flooding reduces the pulmonary right-to-left shunt volume. The pulmonary function normalizes within 8 h after the operation.