RESUMO
Thirty-two male and twenty-five female pediatric patients who were diagnosed as postoperative pulmonary atelectasis were evaluated. The causes of postoperative atelectasis were secretion in the airway (94.7%) and aspiration (5.3%). The locations of postoperative atelectasis were right upper (54. 4%), left upper (19.3%), left lower (12.3%), right middle (8.7%) and right lower (5.3%) lobe in order. In thirty-three (57.9%) of the total 57 patients, atelectasis was occurred on the 2nd postoperative day. After application of intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) three times a day, more than half of the patients showed normal expanded lung and the majority of the patients except one were completely recovered in 6 days postparatively. Arterial blood gases were not significantly different before and after IPV, but alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference (AaDO2) decreased from 160+/-16 mmHg before IPV to 114+/-16 mmHg after IPV.