Background Bronchial valves have been widely used in lung volume reduction, persistent air leakage, bronchopleural fistula, recurrent hemoptysis and drug-resistant tuberculosis. However, there is no similar alternative listing in China.
Objective To produce a domestic bronchial valve and preliminarily verify its effectiveness through an animal experiment of eliminating pneumothorax caused by bronchopleural fistula.
Methods Six Bama miniature pigs underwent right thoracotomy under general anesthesia to destroy the distal bronchus of the right middle lung, resulting in bronchopleural fistula. After pneumothorax, a closed thoracic drainage tube was retained, and the thoracic cavity was closed after connecting to the closed thoracic drainage bottle. A domestic bronchial valve was placed at the bronchial opening of the middle lobe of the right lung through bronchoscope, and the chest tube was removed after the air leakage was eliminated.
Results The pneumothorax was successfully constructed. The average duration of air leakage after placing the bronchial valve at the bronchial opening of the middle lobe of the right lung was 4.2 min. There were no postoperative complications. After one month and a half, the bronchoscope was rechecked. The bronchial valve of 2 pigs fell off, and the other were still working correctly.
Conclusion Domestic bronchial valve can effectively eliminate pneumothorax caused by bronchopleural fistula in time, with a good prospect of clinical application.
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