Bilateral pulmonary contusion, flail chest and respiratory failure on late iatrogenic diaphragmatic eventration and severe kyphoskoliosis: a case report

BACKGROUND We present a case of a 79 year old Caucasian Greek female with multiple acute and chronic diseases that in conjunction led to a critical condition. CASE PRESENTATION She had a chronic iatrogenic diaphragmatic eventration, chronic severe kyphoskoliosis and an acute thoracic trauma due to a falling. We decided to perform an operation for the diaphragmatic eventration and the flail chest on this patient in the hope of improving her respiratory capacity. CONCLUSION Managing one chronic (eventration) and one acute (flail chest) thoracic disorder would restore normal mechanical properties of the thoracic cavity, although none of these diseases would be managed surgically as separate entities.