title: Use of ultrasound to diagnose pneumothorax after video assisted thoracic surgery: Do we need to acquire a new skill?
abstract: Diagnosis of a pneumothorax in the immediate post-operative area can be difficult. Traditional gold-standard modalities may not be available or feasible to institute. Ultrasound (US) guidance allows the anesthesia provider a method of quickly detecting this potentially life-threatening complication especially when it's least expected. We encountered such a case when a 40 years male patient posted for video assisted thoracic surgery for drainage of empyema on left side of chest developed pneumothorax on right side post-operatively. Timely diagnosis with the help of US saved time and his life. We thus want to emphasize the importance of this simple but useful skill to the anesthesiologist.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Grant Medical College and Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Surbhi D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Mundada
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Grant Medical College and Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Kundan S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Gosavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Grant Medical College and Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Bharti
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kondvilkar
keywords: Anesthesia; diagnosis; pneumothorax; thoracic ultrasonography