Anaesthesia for surgery of the trachea and main bronchi

Major surgery on the trachea and airway is an anaesthetic challenge, which necessitates the simultaneous control of the airway, maintenance of gas exchange and good surgical exposure. Advance planning, good communication and teamwork among surgeon, anaesthetist and theatre staff are never more important. A major indication for laryngeal and tracheal surgery is laryngotracheal stenosis, a rare condition, which can cause significant morbidity and life-threatening airway obstruction. In the era of modern medicine, post-intubation injury has superseded infection and external trauma as the commonest aetiology. Definitive surgery is usually carried out in tertiary specialist centres, where segmental resection of the trachea with primary end-to-end anastomotic reconstruction is usually the technique of choice. Provision of anaesthesia for bronchial sleeve resection and removal of inhaled foreign bodies faces similar challenges.