ABSTRACT
SESSION TITLE: Pneumothorax, Chylothorax, and Pleural Effusion Case Posters SESSION TYPE: Case Report Posters PRESENTED ON: 10/17/2022 12:15 pm - 01:15 pm INTRODUCTION: Chest tube placement is generally done to drain air (Pneumothorax) or fluid (Effusion or Hemothorax) from the pleural cavity. The incidence of complications related to such intervention varies between 1 to 6 percent (1), and includes but not limited to malposition, injuring chest wall structures, injuring intrathoracic structures, bleeding, and infection. In this case we present an unusual complication to surgical chest tube placement. CASE PRESENTATION: Our patient is a 59-year-old male, long term resident of a nursing facility with past medical history of alcohol use disorder in remission, alcoholic cirrhosis, seizure disorder, protein-calorie malnutrition and a recent COVID-19 infection. He presented with worsening shortness of breath and was admitted with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Initial CT scan showed fibrotic, reticular and cystic changes, traction bronchiectasis and diffuse bilateral ground glass opacities. He was admitted to the medical ICU;he was treated initially with broad spectrum antibiotics and diuresis with minimal response. Eventually steroid therapy was started for Covid related organizing pneumonia, and he improved. Later in his hospital state he developed bilateral small pneumothoraxes that enlarged overtime and a surgical chest tube was placed on the right side. Post procedure chest x ray showed that the tube was kinked, and the pneumothorax was still present. A follow up CT chest confirmed the presence of an extra-pleural hematoma with the tube kinked inside it. CT angiography of the chest was done and showed active extravasation of contrast into the extra-pleural space likely from the intercostal arterial branches. Interventional radiology took the patient to see if they could cauterize the bleeding vessel but they were unable to identify the source of bleeding. Thoracic surgery was also consulted and was planning to take the patient to the OR, remove the tube, evacuate the hematoma and control the bleeding. However, the patient opted against this. DISCUSSION: Extra-pleural hematoma is a rare complication of surgical chest tube placement. It is usually seen after blunt trauma or rib fracture, but can still occur after subclavian vein central line placement or chest tube placement. Bleeding is usually arterial in origin and treatment is often surgical. Radiological characteristics include biconvex shape and the extra-pleural fat sign (2,3,);hypodense rim medial to the hematoma due to the inward displacement of the extra-pleural fat by the hematoma. CONCLUSIONS: Chest tube placement remains a routine procedure that is done in emergency departments and hospital wards. Generally, a safe intervention but clinicians should be aware of the possible complications and their management including extra-pleural hematomas. Reference #1: Pleural procedures and thoracic ultrasound: British Thoracic Society pleural disease guideline 2010 Tom Havelock1, Richard Teoh2, Diane Laws3, Fergus Gleeson4 on behalf of the BTS Pleural Disease Guideline Group. Correspondence to Dr Tom Havelock, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK;t.havelock@soton.ac.uk Reference #2: Journal of Trauma and Injury 2017;30(4): 202-205. Published online: December 30, 2017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20408/jti.2017.30.4.202 Traumatic Extrapleural Hematoma Mimicking Hemothorax Yong Seon Choi, M.D., Soon Jin Kim, M.D., Sang Woo Ryu, Seung Ku Kang Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Mokpo Hankook Hospital, Mokpo, Korea Correspondence to: Soon Jin Kim, M.D., Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Mokpo Hankook Hospital, 483 Yeongsan-ro, Mokpo 58643, Korea, Tel: +82-61-270-5574, Fax: +82-61-277-0199, E-mail : innocent-blood@hanmail.net Reference #3: The Journal of Emergency Medicine Volume 51, Issue 2, August 2016, Pages 159-163 Nonoperative Management of a Large Extrapleural Hematom after Blunt Chest Trauma LuisGorospe MD, María Ángeles Fernández-Méndez MD, AnaAyala-Carbonero MD, AlbertoCabañero-Sánchez MD, Gemma MaríaMuñoz-Molina MD, PhD DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Ahmad Allaham No relevant relationships by Elyce Sheehan