MCK. Choy, D. Pescod
SUMMARY: A 43-year-old ASA PS II male patient developed a pneumothorax while breathing spontaneously through a supraglottic airway device during a general anaesthetic. Unexplained hypoxaemia occurred after an episode of coughing. Clinical examination appeared to be normal apart from the persistent oxygen desaturation. A pneumothorax was diagnosed in the post anaesthesia care unit by chest X-ray. The pneumothorax responded to conventional management and the patient made an uneventful recovery. We recommend a high index of suspicion in any patient who coughs and later has unexplained hypoxaemia during general anaesthesia, even if a supraglottic airway device has been inserted.
L. WEINBERG, D. SKEWES
SUMMARY: Nasogastric tube insertion is a commonly performed procedure that can be associated with significant morbidity and even mortality. There is no universally accepted technique to confirm correct placement. Most confirmatory methods are performed after placement, therefore misplacement and potential complications may have already occurred. We report a case where a commonly used bedside confirmatory test gave false reassurance that the nasogastric tube was properly positioned, but a plain chest X-ray revealed a massive pneumothorax due to inadvertent intrapleural placement of the tube. Due to the deficiencies of traditional confirmatory bedside techniques, and the limitations of modern and more sophisticated confirmatory methods, the plain chest X-ray remains the gold standard test to confirm correct nasogastric tube placement. We appraise the methods commonly employed to confirm nasogastric tube placement, and discuss factors that may increase the risk of misplacement.
SH. Haddad, AS. Aldawood, YM. Arabi
SUMMARY: A chest X-ray (CXR) is routinely performed after percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of routine CXR following PDT and its impact on patient management and to identify predictors of post-PDT CXR changes. Two-hundred-and-thirty-nine patients who underwent PDT in a 21-bed intensive care unit were included prospectively in the study. The following data were collected: patient demographics, APACHE III scores, pre-PDT FiO2 and PEEP, PDT technique, perioperative complications and the use of bronchoscopic guidance. We compared post-PDT CXR with the last pre-PDT CXR. We documented any post-PDT new radiographic findings including atelectasis, pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, surgical emphysema, pulmonary infiltrates or tracheostomy tube malposition. We also recorded management modifications based on post-PDT radiographic changes, including increased PEEP, chest physiotherapy, therapeutic bronchoscopy or chest tube insertion. Atelectasis was the only new finding detected on post-PDT CXRs of 24 (10%) patients. The new radiographic findings resulted in a total of 14 modifications of management in 10 (4%) patients including increased PEEP in six, chest physiotherapy in six and bronchoscopy in two patients. Trauma and pre-PDT PEEP >5 cmH2O were independent predictors of post-PDT CXR changes. Routine CXR following PDT has a low diagnostic yield, detecting mainly atelectasis and leading to a change in the management in only a minority of patients. Routine CXR after apparently uncomplicated PDT performed by an experienced operator may not be necessary and selective use may improve its diagnostic yield. Further studies are required to validate the safety of selective versus routine post-PDT CXR.
P. P. McCONKEY, P. G. MOORE, N. T. NGUYEN
SUMMARY: Minimally invasive oesophagectomy is a relatively new procedure that is performed by means of thoracoscopy and laparoscopy. One stage of the procedure involves creation of a peritoneo-pleural communication in the presence of a pneumoperitoneum. In the case presented, severe hypotension occurred at this point. We believe this was caused by the escape of carbon dioxide from the peritoneal cavity into the right hemithorax, resulting in tension pneumothorax and cardiac tamponade. We believe this to be a predictable complication of this procedure but one that if expected, recognised and correctly managed, should not result in adverse outcomes.
P. B. CORNISH
SUMMARY: A new technique for achieving brachial plexus anaesthesia through the supraclavicular fossa is described. Its objectives are to minimize risk to the lung and provide for continuous as well as single-shot options. The plexus is approached through the lateral aspect of the supraclavicular fossa, and a bend in the shaft of the needle permits the tip of the needle to be directed tangential to the chest wall. An audit of 572 cases associated with the development of this technique is presented.