Abstract

Aspiration pneumonitis is best defined as an acute lung injury, following the aspiration of regurgitated gastric contents. Major cause of pulmonary aspiration, during anesthesia, is gastric contents. Pulmonary aspiration can present symptoms of wheezing, coughing, dyspnea, cyanosis, pulmonary edema, hypotension, and hypoxemia, which may progress rapidly to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, there was no report of massive alveolar hemorrhage associated with aspiration pneumonitis. A 63-year-old man, who had undergone a total gastrectomy and received adjuvant chemotherapy, four months ago, was scheduled for adhesiolysis of the small bowel. The patient occurred aspiration of gastric contents, during induction of anesthesia, and subsequently, hypoxia developed during surgery. The patient moved to an intensive care unit (ICU), without extubation. Mechanical ventilation with PEEP was performed in an ICU. However, the patient died by ARDS and massive alveolar hemorrhage.

• Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome;aspiration pneumonitis;diffuse alveolar hemorrhage;