Anaesthesia for a patient undergoing thoracoscopic assisted trans-hiatal oesophagectomy.

We describe the anaesthetic management of an elderly woman who underwent thoracoscopically assisted trans-hiatal oesophagectomy. One-lung ventilation with insufflation of carbon dioxide was necessary for adequate surgical access. Potential intra-operative problems included hypoxaemia during one-lung ventilation, mediastinal shift and inadvertent damage to mediastinal structures.