Acute life-threatening ventilation-perfusion inequality: an indication for independent lung ventilation.

Although reports of independent lung ventilation are found in the literature more frequently, firm criteria for its use have not yet been established. It is probable that major ventilation-perfusion inequality, especially in cases in which the blood flow is primarily diverted to the less ventilated lung, could sometimes be corrected by this technique. The present report deals with such a case and describes the angiographic studies which convinced us that differential ventilation was necessary. By this means we were able to provide successful treatment for patients who had developed preterminal hypoxemia.