Pneumothorax Following Breast Surgery at an Ambulatory Surgery Center.

Pneumothorax is a known complication following breast surgery but is likely underappreciated by anesthesiologists. Iatrogenic pneumothorax can be caused by needle injury during local anesthetic injection, surgical damage to the intercostal fascia or pleura, or pulmonary injury from mechanical ventilation. We present two cases of pneumothorax following bilateral mastectomy with bilateral pectoral blocks and immediate breast reconstruction. Both cases occurred at a freestanding ambulatory surgery center in patients with no history of lung disease. One patient was found to have bilateral pneumothoraxes after complaining of shortness of breath and chest pain in the post-operative care unit. The second patient was asymptomatic but found to have a right-sided pneumothorax on a chest X-ray (CXR) that was ordered to rule-out left-sided pneumothorax due to concern of intraoperative breach of the left chest wall. Both patients were treated with chest tubes, transferred to a nearby hospital, and discharged several days later. Anesthesiologists must be aware of this potentially life-threatening complication and consider pneumothorax in the differential diagnosis of perioperative hypoxemia, shortness of breath, chest pain, and hemodynamic collapse in patients undergoing breast surgery. Though traditionally diagnosed via radiograph, pneumothorax can be rapidly diagnosed with ultrasound. Tension pneumothorax should be decompressed immediately with a needle. A clinically significant, non-tension pneumothorax is treated with chest tube placement. Equipment necessary to treat pneumothorax should be available for emergency treatment in facilities wherever breast surgery is performed.

Airway Management of a 3-Year-Old Child With a Penetrating Oropharyngeal Foreign Body Risking Vascular Injury.

Management of anesthesia for a child with an upper airway foreign body is fraught with particular challenges. We present the case of a 3-year-old girl who presented to the emergency department with a 12-cm sewing needle protruding from her mouth and unknown vascular involvement. We were faced with establishing a secure airway despite exclusion of mask ventilation or use of a laryngeal mask airway. Moreover, peripheral intravenous access was lost before adequate sedation. Ultimately, we were able to safely induce anesthesia and achieve endotracheal intubation. The penetrating foreign body was removed with no perioperative complications.