Lobar bronchial blockade in bronchopleural fistula.

A 59-yr-old man with bullous lung disease developed a refractory bronchopleural fistula involving the right upper lobe. Despite independent lung and high-frequency jet ventilation, a large air leak persisted. Following the introduction of a bronchial blocker into the right upper lobe bronchus via the tracheal lumen of a left-sided endobronchial tube, oxygenation and ventilation improved, and the airleak was reduced by 90%. The presence of pneumonia led to an inexorably downhill course with death from overwhelming sepsis.