Massive hemothorax in a beta-thalassemic patient due to spontaneous rupture of extramedullary hematopoietic masses: diagnosis and successful treatment.
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Intrathoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis is an unusual but well-described entity. The condition is typically found in patients who have chronic hemolytic anemias, especially thalassemia. We report a case of a 38-year-old man with underlying beta thalassemia/hemoglobin E who developed intrathoracic extramedullary hematopoiesis. The hematopoietic masses spontaneously ruptured, resulting in massive hemothorax. The condition was confirmed by video-assisted thoracoscopy and successfully treated with surgery, hydroxyurea, and radiation. (+info)
Spontaneous massive haemothorax caused by rupture of an intercostal vein.
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Spontaneous massive haemothorax is rare. We describe a healthy 44 year old woman who experience sudden onset chest pain while sleeping. Chest radiograph revealed massive right pleural effusion. Progressive dyspnoea, cold sweating, and tachycardia developed later. A tube thoracostomy was performed immediately and massive haemothorax was noted. An emergency thoracotomy was performed because of unstable vital signs. Disruption of the right third intercostal vein with continuous bleeding was observed, and suture ligation of the vein was performed. The total blood loss was about 4000 ml. The patient recovered uneventfully, and her condition at follow up visits to the outpatient department was satisfactory. (+info)
Intrapleural fibrinolysis in clotted haemothorax.
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The immediate treatment of haemothorax is thoracostomy tube insertion. One complication of haemothorax is retained blood and if improperly managed, this can lead to complications such as empyema and fibrothorax. The ideal management of clotted haemothorax is a matter of controversy. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is believed to be the best available modality for the management of clotted haemothorax. However, VATS is not routinely available in many centres. One easily available and effective alternative to VATS is the use of intrapleural fibrinolysis. We report the successful management of a post-traumatic clotted haemaothorax in a 34-year-old man, using intrapleural instillation of streptokinase, and review the literature on the management of clotted haemothorax. (+info)
Bilateral massive bloody pleurisy complicated by angiosarcoma.
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We report a case of angiosarcoma complicated by bilateral massive bloody pleurisy (hematocrit of 7.2%) in an 83-year-old woman. An autopsy revealed hemorrhagic tumors infiltrating both the diaphragm and serosal surface of the peritoneum. Histological examination confirmed an anastomosing vascular channel pattern of the tumor cells with characteristic immunohistochemical findings for angiosarcoma, such as positive staining for vimentin, CD31, CD34, D2-40, and factor VIII-related antigen. The tumor was thought to have originated from a small vessel on the serosal surface of the duodenum. We also reviewed cases of hemothorax associated with angiosarcoma, which suggested that primary or metastatic pleural angiosarcoma should be considered a cause of spontaneous hemothorax, especially in patients with bilateral and/or intractable hemothorax. (+info)
Percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization in children and adolescents: success, complications and related factors.
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OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the rates of success and of complications of percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization in children and adolescents and to identify factors associated with them. METHODS: This was a study of a series of 204 percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterizations of children and adolescents, using polyvinyl chloride catheters (Intracath(R)), at the Instituto Materno-Infantil Professor Fernando Figueira between December 1, 2003 and April 30, 2004. An analysis was performed of variables related to the patient, such as age, and of variables related to the procedure, such as success/failure, type of anesthesia, complications, who performed the procedure and the number of attempts needed. RESULTS: Overall, 89.2% of catheterizations were successful. Percentage success rates were significantly greater when percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization was performed with the child sedated (94%). Around 43.2% of subclavian catheterizations progressed with complications related to insertion of the catheter; however, complications of greater severity were observed in just 3.5% of cases. There were a greater number of complications related to percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterizations performed by a first-year resident (58.8%), who performed a significantly greater percentage of procedures on children younger than 1 year and who also made a greater number of attempts per patient. CONCLUSIONS: The chance of success was greater when patients were sedated for catheterization. There was a greater chance of complications related to insertion of the catheter when percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization was performed by less experienced physicians, and it would be prudent to designate those central venous catheterizations that present greater risk to surgeons with greater experience. (+info)
Haemothorax after pig-tail catheter removal in a patient with primary spontaneous pneumothorax.
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A case of haemothorax is described which occurred after the removal of a small pig-tail chest tube (8.5 F) that was inserted in the second intercostal space in the mid-clavicular line, for primary spontaneous pneumothorax management. The patient was successfully resuscitated and 0.85 l of blood was aspirated. There was no evidence for pre-existing haemothorax, no metal instrument was used and no precipitating factor was present. Thus, it is possible that bleeding was due to a tear of a vessel proximal to the second intercostal space during pig-tail catheter removal by a "grapple-hook" mechanism. Whether a pig-tail catheter in itself carries an additional risk of complications compared with other catheter types is questionable. However, this report highlights the potential danger that accompanies pig-tail drain insertion into the second intercostal space in the mid-clavicular line, and suggests that insertion in other sites is technically easy and potentially safer for pneumothorax drainage. (+info)
Utilization of recombinant activated factor VII in a case of spontaneous massive haemothorax in a patient with Von Recklinghausen's disease.
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Spontaneous haemothorax is a rare and often lethal complication of neurofibromatosis. Two kinds of vascular involvement are described: 1) stenotic or aneurysmatic modifications of large intrathoracic vessels, mainly treated with endovascular techniques; 2) dysplastic alterations in highly vascularized mesenchymal tumors. We describe a rare case of massive intrathoracic haemorrhage due to an upper mediastinic neurofibroma, successfully controlled with recombinant activated factor VII associated with surgical treatment. (+info)
Antibiotic prophylaxis in penetrating injuries of the chest.
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Most prospective studies recommend antibiotic prophylaxis whilst a thoracostomy tube is in place or even longer. We conducted a randomised study of 188 patients with penetrating chest injuries requiring a chest drain. Of these patients, 95 received a single dose of ampicillin before insertion of the chest tube, the remaining 93 patients received additional antibiotic prophylaxis for as long as the drain was in place. The incidence of intrathoracic sepsis (pneumonia or empyema) was 3.1% and 3.2%, respectively. It is concluded that single-dose prophylaxis in penetrating chest trauma is as effective as prolonged prophylaxis. The importance of chest physiotherapy immediately after the drain insertion and of early removal of the drain is stressed. The role of various possible risk factors in the development of sepsis is discussed. (+info)