The choice between a double-lumen tube (DLT) and a bronchial blocker (BB) for lung isolation remains controversial. The aim of this study was to determine if the features of these lung isolation devices affect postoperative pulmonary outcomes.

We retrospectively identified claims by patients who underwent surgery under lung isolation in 2000-2012 in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. After matching for age, sex, and year of surgery, 1,898 patients were enrolled in a BB group and 5,694 in a DLT group. The risks of readmission in the first postoperative year with pulmonary complications, in-hospital death, and one-year mortality were estimated using conditional logistic regression analysis.

Patients in the BB group had higher risks of readmission with pulmonary infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-1.74) or respiratory failure (aOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09-1.76) in the first postoperative year as well as in-hospital death (aOR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.40-2.94) and one-year mortality (aOR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.60-2.35) than those in the DLT group after adjustment for the types of the surgeries, hospital accreditation level, underlying comorbidity, and a potentially difficult airway. Patients in the BB group had longer median (interquartile range) stays in the intensive care unit (1 [0-4] vs. 1 [0-3] days, P < 0.001) and in hospital (16 [10-26] vs. 13 [8-22] days, P < 0.001).

Patients undergoing thoracic surgery are more likely to experience postoperative pulmonary complications if a BB than a DLT is used.