Anaesthesia for bronchoscopy, tracheal and airway surgery

This article discusses the anaesthetic management of adult and paediatric patients undergoing bronchoscopy for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Particular emphasis is place on the techniques of ventilation and the controversy regarding the relative merits of intravenous and inhalational induction for foreign body removal by bronchoscopy. A brief introduction to the management of the patient for tracheal surgery follows and the importance of diverse ventilatory strategies is discussed.