Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2011; 59(4): 252-254
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1250670
Case Reports/Cardiac

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Life-Threatening Hemothorax Resulting from Lung Hernia after Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery

T. Schroeter1 , H. Bittner1 , S. Subramanian1 , M. Hänsig1 , F. Mohr1 , M. Borger1
  • 1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Heart Center Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Further Information

Publication History

received August 12, 2010

Publication Date:
21 March 2011 (online)

Abstract

Lung hernia following minimally invasive mitral valve surgery is an uncommen entity. We report the case of a male patient who developed a lung hernia as a sequela to limited access mitral valve surgery. Two months after discharge, the patient presented with a bulge in the region of the lateral thoracotomy related to respiration which could be provoked by a Valsalva maneuver. In the night following admission the patient had acute cardiovascular decompensation with worsening dyspnea, pallor and hypotension. The patient was quickly transferred to the ICU, where a chest X‐ray revealed the presence of a large hemothorax with compression of the entire right lung. We transferred the patient to the operation room, evacuated the hemothorax and reconstructed the 15-cm long and 3-cm wide dehiscence using a GoreTex patch adapted in a special technique.

References

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Thomas Schroeter, MD

Department of Cardiac Surgery
Heart Center Leipzig

Struempellstr. 38

04155 Leipzig

Germany

Phone: +49 3 41 86 50

Fax: +49 34 18 65 22 88

Email: thomas-schroeter@gmx.de