Iatrogenic air leak successfully treated by bronchoscopic placement of unidirectional endobronchial valves.
This report describes a patient with persistent air leak after inadvertent placement of a chest drain in a bulla. Chest drain and suction failed to stop the air leak, whereas the surgical repair was judged to be excessively aggressive. In closure, two large endobronchial valves were sequentially positioned in the superior and inferior division of the left upper lobe to completely close it. The result was the collapse of bulla with closure of fistula and complete lung expansion.
Santini
Mario
M
Thoracic Surgery Unit, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy. mario.santini@unina2.it
Fiorelli
Alfonso
A
Vicidomini
Giovanni
G
Laperuta
Paolo
P
Di Crescenzo
Vincenzo Giuseppe
VG
D000388:Air; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013510:Pulmonary Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012074:Remission Induction