Emergency treatment of life-threatening spontaneous haematopneumothorax.
We report two cases of spontaneous life-threatening haemopneumothorax, successfully treated by early thoracotomy. In the first patient no source of bleeding could be identified. The second patient presented bleeding from a torn vascular adhesion at the apex of the lung. The first patient benefited from early clot evacuation and in the second patient the bleeding could be controlled by electrocautery and a single suture of the bleeding vessel. These cases stress the need for early recognition and management of a potentially life-threatening event.
Meysman
M
M
Respiratory Division, Academic Hospital University of Brussels (AZ-VUB), Belgium.
Verhaeghe
W
W
Sacre
R
R
Vanhulle
A
A
van de Maele
B
B
Vincken
W
W
D000328:Adult; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D006468:Hemopneumothorax / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D011859:Radiography; D013908:Thoracotomy