The inadvisability of thoracoscopic lung biopsy on patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Hasegawa, Seiki; Isowa, Noritaka; Bando, Toru; Wada, Hiromi · Chest · 2002

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

The use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) sometimes leads to additional and unnecessary risks compared with thoracotomy. We report a troubling case of VATS lung biopsy in a 43-year-old woman with mild pulmonary hypertension. A progressive elevation of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was noted after the commencement of right unilateral ventilation. When the systolic PAP reached 90 mm Hg (390 min after induction of anesthesia), a massive blood discharge through the chest drain occurred. At repeat thoracotomy, continuous blood spouting was seen from > 10 of the surgical sites. It was supposed that the endoscopic staplers were unable to maintain hemostasis with such a high PAP.

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