FRCA Final Exam Preparation: 750 Questions and Answers

Our comprehensive resource is meticulously mapped to the Final FRCA curriculum, providing you with detailed answer explanations and Key Learning Points covering every topic in the exam. Take advantage of our high-quality questions and detailed explanations to revise confidently for your FRCA Final exam.

Demo Question: Absolute Indications for One-Lung Ventilation

Which one of the following options is an absolute indication for adult one-lung ventilation?

1. To assist with surgical access for an oesophagectomy
2. To control the distribution of ventilation in a patient with a bronchopleural fistula
3. To enable better surgical access for mediastinal mass excision
4. To facilitate surgical access for an upper lobectomy
5. To improve surgical access for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Key Learning Point: There are absolute and relative indications for one-lung ventilation. Whilst in most cases the indications to improve surgical access are highly desirable, they are not considered absolute.

Explanation: Absolute indications include:

1. Isolation of a healthy lung to prevent contamination or damage from a lung abscess or pulmonary haemorrhage.
2. Control of the distribution of ventilation to prevent baro- or volutrauma of damaged lung tissue (bronchopleural fistula, major cyst or bulla, bronchial trauma).
3. Facilitation of single lung lavage

Relative indications include the enabling of surgical access for:

1. Thoracic aortic surgery
2. Lung resection
3. Minimally invasive cardiac surgery
4. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)
5. Oesophageal surgery
6. Mediastinal mass resection