Pneumothorax after tracheostomy a case report / Brian W. Palma.

Includes bibliographical references and appendices

Abstract: Pneumothorax is a condition in which air or gas has entered the pleural cavity, which is the space between the layers of pleura that line the outside of the lungs and the inside of the chest wall. Diagnosis of pneumothorax during general anesthesia is difficult, especially as this problem is uncommon. Although there are a number of well recognized high risk situations, pneumothorax may occur unexpectedly. A small, undiagnosed, asymptomatic pneumothorax may become a tension pneumothorax on instituting positive pressure ventilation of the lungs after induction of or during anesthesia. As the systemic signs of pneumothorax are non-specific and the local signs difficult to elicit if access to the chest is restricted, a high level of suspicion and a systematic approach is required for the rapid detection of this potentially dangerous problem. Presented is a case of a 64 year old male who was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who was admitted for a laryngectomy who developed pneumothorax after tracheostomy. This paper aims to discuss a case of pneumothorax after tracheostomy tube insertion, the pathophysiology of its occurrence and its management options.

Research - Department of Anesthesiology