A bronchial blocker (BB) is preferred for lung separation in patients with difficult airways. However, BBs, unlike double-lumen tubes, must be placed in the bronchus of the lung being operated on, hence can be damaged by surgical manipulation. Intubation was unexpectedly difficult in this male patient, so a Coopdech BB was placed in the right mainstem bronchus through a single-lumen tracheoscop...

AIMS We analyzed and examined the effect of different management strategies on short term outcomes for pediatric patients with parapneumonic pleural effusions. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 16 cases of children admitted and treated in our department of pediatric surgery for empyema or pleural effusions for a period of 30 months. RESULTS When chest drains are used alone, p...

Diaphragmatic hernias are usually congenital, and they usually occur in the neonatal group. They do occur in the adult population, albeit very rarely. We present a case of an adult male patient with complications as a result of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The patient presented with atypical abdominal pain and respiratory distress. Radiological investigations confirmed a left hydropneumot...

INTRODUCTION Boerhaave's syndrome is an uncommon condition where there is oesophageal rupture following forceful vomiting, subsequent mediastinitis and is associated with high mortality and morbidity in the absence of therapy. We present a case of Boerhaave's syndrome in a 79-year-old woman who developed a right-sided effusion, an unusual presentation. CLINICAL PICTURE A 79-year-old woman dev...

BACKGROUND Chylothorax is a relatively rare but well-known complication of thoracic surgery. CASE PRESENTATION A 70-year-old man underwent right upper and middle bilobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection through a posterolateral thoracotomy for lung cancer. On the second postoperative day, he developed chylothorax that was treated with dietary management and pleurodesis. The discharge ...

A 33-year-old male visited the emergency room with abdominal pain which developed after a vomiting episode. Based on the pneumomediastinum findings from a chest radiograph and a contrast-enhanced chest and abdominal computed tomography scan, the patient was diagnosed with Boerhaave's syndrome. Preoperative radiologic findings showed no pneumothorax or pleural effusion. Once anesthesia was admin...

Nevertheless, only in the past few years has it been demonstrated that minimally invasive thoracic surgery improves outcomes compared with standard thoracotomy. However, one of the key elements for the success of these techniques is excellent lung isolation that allows optimal surgical visualization. A poorly collapsed lung leads to complications, prolongs surgical time, and mitigates the overa...

Pneumothorax is defined as air in the pleural space. Depending on the severity of the pneumothorax, treatment consists of oxygen therapy, simple aspiration, tube thoracostomy, and pleurodesis. Prolonged air leakage is observed in 25% of the patients who have undergone surgical procedures, such as thoracotomy, pleurectomy, and video-assisted thoracoscopy. The patient presented here is the third ...

We present in this paper a case of cardiac herniation following right intrapericardial pneumonectomy after induction chemotherapy. A 52-year-old man with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung was admitted to our hospital suffering from a dry cough and chest pain. An intrapericardial pneumonectomy with partial pericardiectomy (4 x 4 cm) was performed. The pericardial defect was left open....

Parapneumonic effusions or empyemas are frequently seen in patients with lower respiratory tract infections. The condition is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Since Gram stains and bacterial cultures are usually negative, treatment focuses on empiric antibiotic treatment and chest tube drainage. The role of intrapleural fibrinolytics is still a matter of debate. Medical thor...