A novel interventional therapy using the combination of bilateral bronchial stent dilatation and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support for critical airway obstruction due to metastatic carcinomatous carina.

For an inoperative critical airway obstruction (bilateral bronchial stenoses) from a carcinomatous carina due to the mediastinal lymphnodal metastasis from uterine cancer, we succeeded in improving the patient's severe dyspnea by the combination of bilateral bronchial stent dilatation and a percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) system. The imminent airway stenosis with severe dyspnea may have a high risk of asphyxia and contact-flooding during implanting of the stent. By the novel use of PCPS in advance for blood-oxygenation as a respiratory support, we could safely perform the interventional therapy of bronchial expandable metallic stents, and the patient obtained a good quality of life without dyspnea until she died of systemic metastatic cachexia. This technique may possibly be approved as an option for temporary remission therapy of a critical airway obstruction.