A patient had undergone left pneumonectomy for lung cancer and had an increased risk of fatal complications such as pneumonia, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The treatment effects of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) for ARDS of postpneumonectomy patient are uncertain. A 74-year-old man with one lung experienced aspiration pneumonia while swallowing pills after the operation, and his condition progressed to ARDS within a day. He was successfully treated with VV-ECMO support and intensive care unit care.
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The Future of Research on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Ji Young Lee Korean Journal of Critical Care Medicine.2016; 31(2): 73. CrossRef
Tracheobronchomalacia is developed by excessively weakened walls of the trachea and bronchi, and shows dynamic collapse of the airway on expiration and causes dyspnea. Airway stenting or surgical correction of the airway may be helpful. We report a case with tracheobronchomalacia which was combined with chronic empyema and treated successfully with stent insertion.
Usually FEV1 lower than 1 liter is considered as a contraindication to pneumonectomy. Therefore sometimes, the curative operations of the resectable lung cancer can not be performed in case of poor pulmonary functions. The usual criteria on the performance of pneumonectomy on high risk patients based on the preoperative assessment of pulmonary function may not predict the operative outcome with accuracy in the postoperative period. Nowadays, there are some arguing points about applying the values of preoperative PFTs to pulmonary resection surgery. We performed a right pneumonectomy for stage IIIb lung cancer in a patient with poor lung function test; FVC 2.17 L, FEV1 0.97 L, FEV1/FVC 44%, FEF 25~75% 0.42 L/sec, MVV 28 L/min, TLC 5.18 L, RV 2.99, DLCO 13.46. After the temporary ligation of right main pulmonary artery during 30 minutes, arterial blood gas and percutaneous oxygen saturation with the controlled ventilation with room air (FiO2=0.21) confirmed the hemodynamic and oxygenation stabilities, twice. After successful surgery, the patient was tolerated for 4 months.
And the follow up PFTs at postoperative 3 months and 18 days showed as follows; FVC 1.20 L, FEV1 0.63 L, FEV1/FVC 53%, FEF 25~75% 0.31 L/sec, MVV 25 L/min, TLC 3.80 L, RV 2.33 L, DLCO 8.04. Through the intraoperative re-evaluation of pulmonary function in a patient with poor preoperative PFTs,had been conventionally considered as a contraindication to pneumonectomy, we report a successful surgery and anesthetic management with the literatures reviewed.