Sudden loss of ventilation through a double-lumen endotracheal tube requiring a surgical bronchotomy.

A left completion pneumonectomy for primary lung cancer (left lower lobectomy) was complicated by sudden loss of ability to ventilate the patient through the double-lumen endotracheal tube. The problem could not be overcome by the anesthesiologist. In the face of impending cardiorespiratory arrest, a single-lumen tube was introduced through an incision in the left main bronchus through to the right main bronchus. This life-saving maneuver safeguarded the airway and permitted a successful outcome to the operation.