A Case of Tracheostomy Induced Bilateral Tension Pneumothorax.

Yoon, Hyeon Young; Oh, Suk Ui; Park, Jong Gyu; Sin, Tae Rim; Park, Sang Myeon

doi:2007.62.5.437

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 62(5); 2007 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2007;62(5):437-440.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2007.62.5.437 Published online May 1, 2007.

A Case of Tracheostomy Induced Bilateral Tension Pneumothorax.

Hyeon Young Yoon, Suk Ui Oh, Jong Gyu Park, Tae Rim Sin, Sang Myeon Park

Departments of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. thoraxmd@hallym.or.kr

Abstract

Tracheostomy is one of the oldest surgical procedures in medical history. The indications for a tracheostomy include the relief of an upper airway obstruction, long-term mechanical ventilation, and decreased airway resistance to help wean the patient from mechanical ventilator support. Unfortunately, tracheostomy is also associated with a number of problems including, bleeding, infection, pneumothorax, and tracheal stenosis. A pneumothorax is an uncommon complication of a tracheostomy, and can result from direct injury to the pleura or positive pressure ventilation through a dislocation of the tracheostomy tube. We report an uncommon case of a tracheostomy-induced bilateral tension pneumothorax with a review of the literature.

Key Words: Tracheostomy, Tension pneumothorax