Anesthesia for Thoracoscopy

Provision of anesthesia care to patients undergoing thoracoscopic procedures, especially video-assisted thoracoscopy, requires thorough knowledge of the sur gical procedure and the physiology of one-lung ventila tion, as well as meticulous attention to detail by the anesthesia personnel caring for these patients. Thoracos copy is used increasingly to perform almost the entire range of thoracic surgical procedures in a minimally invasive fashion. Excellent quality anesthetic care is necessary to assure the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to the maximum number of patients undergo ing thoracic surgery. This article will provide anesthesi ologists caring for patients undergoing thoracoscopy with the necessary working knowledge of the technical aspects of the procedure and understanding of the relevant anesthetic implications. Preoperative, intraop erative, and postoperative concerns will be addressed. The scope of this article will be limited to noncardiac uses of thoracoscopy.