A Case of Focal Reexpansion Pulmonary Edema after Chest Tube Insertion.

Chung, Hye Kyoung; Jang, Won Ho; Kim, Yang Ki; Lee, Young Mok; Hwang, Jung Hwa; Kim, Ki Up; Uh, Soo Taek

doi:2009.67.1.59

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 67(1); 2009 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2009;67(1):59-62.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2009.67.1.59 Published online July 1, 2009.

A Case of Focal Reexpansion Pulmonary Edema after Chest Tube Insertion.

Hye Kyoung Chung, Won Ho Jang, Yang Ki Kim, Young Mok Lee, Jung Hwa Hwang, Ki Up Kim, Soo Taek Uh

¹Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Korea. kukim@hosp.sch.ac.kr
²Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Korea.
³Department of Chest Surgery, School of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Reexpansion pulmonary edema is not a common phenomenon after chest tube insertion but some reports from 0% to 14%. There are various resulting complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome. We report a case of focal reexpansion pulmonary edema after chest tube insertion. A 49-year-old male came to the hospital due to ongoing dyspnea and left chest pain for 3 days. On chest X-ray, the patient had a left pneumothrax. We planned to insert a chest tube for symptom relief. To determine whether or not the chest had expanded as a result of the chest tube insertion, the patient underwent repeated chest X-rays the following day. The patient experienced brief respiratory symptoms upon initial suction; a chest PA showed patchy consolidated infiltration at the inserted site. After 5 days of conservative management, the recovered completely.

Key Words: Reexpansion pulmonary edema, Pneumothorax, Chest tube insertion