title: Broken lung.
abstract: We report a case of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) complicated by a very large bronchopleural fistula (BPF) measuring 30 mm in length and evident on computed tomography (CT) chest scan. Such a large BPF is a very rare occurrence. Generally, a BPF of more than 6 mm in size is considered as large.(1) Small BPFs can be easily missed on CT scan chest, but a persistent air-leak through an adequately placed chest tube should raise suspicion for a BPF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
authors.forename: Ikrita K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Klair
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Palomino
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
authors.forename: Fayez
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kheir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care, and Environmental Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Salerno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed