Iatrogenic Atelectasis by Insertion of a Sump Drainage Tube into the Trachea during General Anesthesia : A case report

Kim, Seong Su; Kwak, Sangwon; Seong, Kyu Wan

Case Report

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia

Anesthesia and Pain Medicine 2008;3(2):134-138.
Published online April 30, 2008.

Iatrogenic Atelectasis by Insertion of a Sump Drainage Tube into the Trachea during General Anesthesia : A case report

Seong Su Kim, Sangwon Kwak, Kyu Wan Seong

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Ulsan University College of Medicine, Gangneung Asan Hospital, Gangneung, Korea. sskim@gnah.co.kr

Abstract

Atelectasis is a collapse of the lung due to absence of air within the alveoli and is a relatively common complication following surgery under general anesthesia, but severe total or segmental collapses rarely develop during anesthesia and surgery. Total or segmental lung collapses usually result from the compression or obstruction of bronchial pathways by mass lesions, foreign bodies, or secretions such as mucus, blood, or pus. Anesthesiologists must carefully manage patients who develop pulmonary atelectasis because it is sometimes fatal. We experienced iatrogenic pulmonary atelectasis by insertion of a sump drainage tube into the trachea during general anesthesia for laparoscopic splenectomy and diagnosed with fiberoptic bronchoscopy and chest X-ray.

Key Words: atelectasis, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, iatrogenic lung collapse, sump drainage tube