Atelectasis of Dependent Lungs during Fistula Closure in a Patient with Tracheopleural Fistula: A Case Report / 대한구급학회지

Atelectasis is a fairly common complication in patients undergoing general anesthesia. However, atelectasis caused secretion plugs in patients with tracheopleural fistula is less common than other airway fistulas such as trachea and bronchus. Anesthesiologists should make every effort for thorough preoperative preparation to prevent atelectasis and using appropriate and aggressive treatment, including tracheal or bronchial clearing and end expiratory positive pressure. We report a case of an intraoperative occurrence of atelectasis of the lower lobe of a dependent lung in a patient with a tracheopleural fistula during single lung ventilation for primary closure.