title: Sudden respiratory deterioration in the positive pressure ventilated patient: an organized approach to diagnosis and therapy.
abstract: A case of sudden deterioration in the respiratory status of a 28-year-old man being manually ventilated is presented. The patient's deterioration was presumed to be secondary to malfunction of the expiratory valve of the Ambu bag. The resulting high pressure generated in the system caused the patient to develop a bilateral pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and displacement of the endotracheal tube into the oropharynx. An organized approach to the diagnosis and treatment of the rapid deterioration in the respiratory status of a manually ventilated patient is presented.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Beless
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Slovis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008297:Male; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000209:etiology; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000209:etiology; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy