• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.81-84
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• 1995

Re-expansion pulmonary edema following pneumothorax or hemothorax is clinically uncommon but occasionally life threatening. Clinical details are given of two patients.Ipsilateral pulmonary edema were developed after chest tube insertion due to spontaneous pneumothorax in case I and after evacuation of postoperative hemothorax in case II. The patients were treated with frequent bronchial toilet.The administration of colloid solution and diuretics was effective. The possible mechanisms underlying the edema are discussed.Both increased time of collapse and suction tended to correlate with reexpansion edema.The present two cases provided evidence for longstanding lung collapse and immediate application of suction.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.581-584
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• 1996

Reexpansion pulmonary edema is a rare complication of the treatment of lung collapse secondary to pneumothordx, pleural effusion, or atelectasis but occasionally life threatening. Generally, reexpansion pulmonary edema is believed to o cur only when a chronically collapsed lung is rapidly reexpanded by evacuation or large amounts of air or fluid. This complication is heralded by tachypnea, unilateral rales, and profuse expectoration of frothy secretion within several hours of reexpansion. Increased dur- ation of pneumothorax and the use o( suction are important factors in the generation of reexpansion pulmonary edema. We had experienced 3 cases of reexpansion pulmonary edema. In the two cases the pneumothorax had been present for several days, and, after insertion of a chest tube, pulmonary edema developed unilaterally but improved with supplemental oxygen. In the third case, massive pleural effusion was present. and, after insertion of a chest tube, pulmonary edema developed unilaterally, followed by cardiac arrest. He died of pulmonary edema inspire of resuscitation.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.61-65
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• 2021

Although re-expansion pulmonary edema (RPE) is rare (incidence rate <1%), it is associated with a mortality rate of >20%; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are important. We report a case of RPE following chest tube insertion in a patient with spontaneous pneumothorax. We have specifically focused on the mechanism underlying RPE and the possible etiology. An 82-year-old man with a history of chronic anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension was referred to the emergency department for management of recurrent right-sided pneumothorax. We performed emergency closed thoracostomy for suspected tension pneumothorax, which led to stabilization of the patient's vital signs; however, he coughed up frothy pink sputum accompanied by severe right-sided chest pain 30 min postoperatively. The patient showed new-onset right pulmonary consolidation on chest radiography, as well as desaturation, tachycardia, and tachypnea and was diagnosed with RPE. He was transferred to the intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation and supportive treatment using diuretics, ionotropic agents, and prophylactic antibiotics. RPE gradually resolved, and the patient was extubated 3 days after admission. He has not experienced recurrent pneumothorax or pulmonary disease for 4 months. We emphasize the importance of RPE prevention and that aggressive ventilator care and supportive treatment can effectively treat RPE following an accurate understanding of the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms and risk factors.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.527-530
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• 2003

Reexpansion pulmonary edema is a rare complication of the treatment of lung collapse secondary to pneumothorax, pleural effusion, or atelectasis. But occasionally, severe morbidity and death may result. Reexpansion pulmonary edema occurs when chronically collapsed lung is rapidly reexpanded by evacuation of large amounts of air or fluid. In the treatment of the chronically collapsed lung, physicians must remember the possible events and prevent the complications. When the difference in airway resistance or lung compliance between the two lungs is exaggerated, conventional mechanical ventilation might lead to preferential ventilation with hyperexpansion of one lung and gradual collapse of the other. Differential ventilation has been advocated to avert this problem. By differential lung ventilation, we successfully treated a severe reexpansion pulmonary edema in two patients. Therefore we suggest that differential lung ventilation is the treatment of choice for severe reexpansion pulmonary edema.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1149-1153
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• 1997

Unilateral reexpansion pulmonary edema(RPE) is generally considered a rare complication occurring when a chronically atelectatic lung is rapidly reexpanded by tube thoracostomy or thoracentesis. It can also take place when the lung collapse is of short duration or when the lung is reexpanded without intrapleural sucti n. We experienced a case of RPE following surgical resection in mediastinal thymic cyst A 26 year old female patient suffered from long-standing atelectasis of the right lung due to a huge mediastinal cyst that was misrecognized as tuberculous pleural effusion. Empyema developed after iatrogenic rupture of mediastinal cyst by pig-tailed tube thoracostomy. We successfally managed the ruptured mediastinal thymic cyst, empyema and postoperatively developed RPE following reexpansion of the collapsed lung. The patient was treated with drugs and mechanical ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure for RPE. The remainder of her hospital course was uneventful.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2020

Spontaneous hemopneumothorax is a rare disease, and it can cause life threatening condition. It is characterized by the accumulation of more than 400 mL of blood and air in the pleural cavity without any other apparent causes. A previously healthy 22-year-old female patient presented with acute chest pain and dyspnea. Chest X-ray and computed tomography revealed a massive hemopneumothorax in the left hemithorax. The images showed a completely collapsed left lung with right-sided tracheal deviation, several pleural adhesion bands, and fluid collection with air-fluid level. We emergently performed a closed thoracostomy, and then 560 mL of fresh bloods were initially drained. We considered an emergent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for pulmonary wedge resection and bleeding control because of the massive hemothorax. However, the patient's vital signs were stabilized after blood transfusion and supportive cares for re-expansion pulmonary edema. The patient discharged from the hospital on 11^th in-hospital day after removal of the chest tube, and there had not been any recurrence of the pneumothorax for 10 months. We suggest that treatment strategy should be decided upon individually based on the patient's condition and clinical course of the disease.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.106-115
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• 2018

Chest tube insertion is a common procedure usually done for the purpose of draining accumulated air or fluid in the pleural cavity. Small-bore chest tubes (${\leq}14F$) are generally recommended as the first-line therapy for spontaneous pneumothorax in non-ventilated patients and pleural effusions in general, with the possible exception of hemothoraces and malignant effusions (for which an immediate pleurodesis is planned). Large-bore chest drains may be useful for very large air leaks, as well as post-ineffective trial with small-bore drains. Chest tube insertion should be guided by imaging, either bedside ultrasonography or, less commonly, computed tomography. The so-called trocar technique must be avoided. Instead, blunt dissection (for tubes >24F) or the Seldinger technique should be used. All chest tubes are connected to a drainage system device: flutter valve, underwater seal, electronic systems or, for indwelling pleural catheters (IPC), vacuum bottles. The classic, three-bottle drainage system requires either (external) wall suction or gravity ("water seal") drainage (the former not being routinely recommended unless the latter is not effective). The optimal timing for tube removal is still a matter of controversy; however, the use of digital drainage systems facilitates informed and prudent decision-making in that area. A drain-clamping test before tube withdrawal is generally not advocated. Pain, drain blockage and accidental dislodgment are common complications of small-bore drains; the most dreaded complications include organ injury, hemothorax, infections, and re-expansion pulmonary edema. IPC represent a first-line palliative therapy of malignant pleural effusions in many centers. The optimal frequency of drainage, for IPC, has not been formally agreed upon or otherwise officially established.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.513-517
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• 2010

Background: Diaphragmatic plication through a thoracoscopic approach has been an effective modality to treat diaphragmatic enventration. However, the conventional technique for thoracoscopic plication has some disadvantages. We have developed an improved and simplified technique with utilizing the head up position, $CO_2$ insufflation and figure-of-eight sutures. Material and Method: Between October 2005 and September 2009, 9 patients with diaphragmatic paralysis underwent repair using our modified technique. The mean patient age was $38.5{\pm}53.0$ years (range: 2~76 years). Result: The mean operation time was $46.7{\pm}15.9$ min (range: 30~85 min). None of the patients died due to this procedure, but there was one case of prolonged air leakage, and a case of re-expansion pulmonary edema, which required 3 days of ventilator support after the procedure. The mean hospital stay was $6.22{\pm}2.04$ days (range: 4~11 days). The mean follow-up duration was $27.2{\pm}11.6$ months (range: 2~43 months). All the patients had their symptoms relieved and there was no recurrence of eventration except for one patient who developed more than 2 cm elevation of the diaphragm compared to the immediate post-operation status. Conclusion: With our technique, thoracoscopic diaphragmatic plication was feasible via using only three 5 mm ports and without a working window and the midterm results were favorable. Therefore, we advocate thoracoscopic diaphragmatic plication as a preferred technique to the conventional open plication technique.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.613-616
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• 2007

Background: Spontaneous hemopneumothorax is a rare disease and can be life threatening; it occurs in $1{\sim}12%$ of patients with spontaneous pneumothorax. We analyzed clinical reviews and treatments, as well as complications of spontaneous hemopneumothorax patients that were treated to aid in the optimal management. Material and Method: We studied retrospectively 30 cases with spontaneous hemopneumothorax for 11 years, from 1995 to 2006, at our hospital. Result: All the patients were male and most of the patients were under 30 years. The sides with the disorder were as follows: right in 15 cases and left in 15 cases. Patients showed mostly initial symptoms of chest pain, dyspnea and hypovolemic shock. All patients underwent a closed thoracostomy and 27 patients underwent surgery. Chemical pleurodesis was peformed because of postoperative persistent air leakage and one case was treated in the ICU due to re-expansion pulmonary edema, There were no other complications such as fibrothorax seen during the follow-up periods. Conclusion: The most important finding is proper initial management, as the spontaneous hemopneumothorax can potentially lead to a life-threatening condition. Recently, video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is common procedure for general thoracic surgery and overcomes the weak points of performing a thoracotomy. The results of VATS are encouraging.