Iatrogenic pneumothorax related to mechanical ventilation

Abstract

Pneumothorax is a potentially lethal complication associated with mechanical ventilation. Most of the patients with pneumothorax from mechanical ventilation have underlying lung diseases; pneumothorax is rare in intubated patients with normal lungs. Tension pneumothorax is more common in ventilated patients with prompt recognition and treatment of pneumothorax being important to minimize morbidity and mortality. Underlying lung diseases are associated with ventilator-related pneumothorax with pneumothoraces occurring most commonly during the early phase of mechanical ventilation. The diagnosis of pneumothorax in critical illness is established from the patients’ history, physical examination and radiological investigation, although the appearances of a pneumothorax on a supine radiograph may be different from the classic appearance on an erect radiograph. For this reason, ultrasonography is beneficial for excluding the diagnosis of pneumothorax. Respiration-dependent movement of the visceral pleura and lung surface with respect to the parietal pleura and chest wall can be easily visualized with transthoracic sonography given that the presence of air in the pleural space prevents sonographic visualization of visceral pleura movements. Mechanically ventilated patients with a pneumothorax require tube thoracostomy placement because of the high risk of tension pneumothorax. Small-bore catheters are now preferred in the majority of ventilated patients. Furthermore, if there are clinical signs of a tension pneumothorax, emergency needle decompression followed by tube thoracostomy is widely advocated. Patients with pneumothorax related to mechanical ventilation who have tension pneumothorax, a higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score or PaO₂/FiO₂ < 200 mmHg were found to have higher mortality.

Keywords: Barotrauma; Complication; Critical care; Mechanical ventilation; Pneumothorax

Core tip: Patients with pneumothorax related to mechanical ventilation (PRMV) have a high mortality rate. PRMV often occurs in the early stage of mechanical ventilation and it may recur on the other side of lung in a short period of time. Low compliance is associated with a high incidence of PRMV, with PRMV being more related to the underlying process than the ventilatory setting. PRMV patients with tension pneumothorax, higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation score or PaO₂/FiO₂ < 200 mmHg have a higher mortality.