Nineteen fiberoptic bronchoscopic procedures were performed on ten patients for the treatment of pulmonary collapse. All but two patients were being treated for severe, life-threatening nonpulmonary diseases. Thick, tenacious, and, at times, purulent mucous plugs were successfully aspirated from the bronchial passages. Complete to partial radiologic reexpansion of the collapsed pulmonary region...

Cardiovascular collapse due to pulmonary hyperinflation was noted in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease following median sternotomy for cardiac surgery. Treatment included bronchodilator therapy to reduce airway obstruction, limitation of minute ventilation, and increasing time available for exhalation. High inspiratory flow rates and expiratory retard may be beneficial.

Mucous plugs occur in a number of pulmonary conditions. Central right or left bronchus mucus plug causes complete pulmonary collapse making it an emergency life-threatening case. We describe the case of an 80-year-old man that, in postoperative period after a urological intervention, has had a progressive tachypnea and dyspnea during hospitalization for urological problems. Young surgeon on cal...

Pulmonary atelectasis may be caused by endobronchial lesions or by extrinsic compression of the bronchus. However, lung collapse due to compression from a thoracic aneurysm is uncommon. We report a 76-year-old hypertensive female patient who has pulmonary atelectasis due to an extrinsic compression from a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm, and discuss possible treatment options.

BACKGROUND the incidence of pulmonary embolism increases with age but the 'classical' presentation of acute pulmonary embolism may not occur in older persons. OBJECTIVES to compare the clinical presentation of younger and older patients with acute pulmonary embolism. DESIGN retrospective identification of 60 consecutive cases of spiral computed tomography confirmed acute pulmonary embolism ...

Pulmonary surfactant functions by first flowing rapidly into the alveolar air/water interface, but then resisting collapse from the surface when the adsorbed interfacial film is compressed during exhalation. Widely accepted models emphasize the importance of phase behavior in both processes. Recent studies show, however, that fluidity is a relatively minor determinant of adsorption and that sol...

Pulmonary embolism is a common clinical condition associated with high mortality. Surgical pulmonary embolectomy (SPE), despite having been in existence for over 100 years, is generally regarded as an option of last resort with high mortality rates. Prompt recognition of predictors of mortality, such as right ventricular stress on echocardiography, helps decision-making for immediate surgical p...

Computed tomographic pulmonary angiography is the gold standard in diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE). There is increasing use of dual energy CT (DECT) scanners in producing iodine perfusion maps. These maps assist in diagnosing a PE. However, many conditions can mimic perfusion defects on iodine maps including artefacts, pleural effusion, pulmonary artery compression, emphysema, vasculitis, pu...

Method Five female patients (age 23, 37, 58, 70 and 76, mean 52.8) were diagnosed as massive pulmonary embolism with either acute irreversible pulmonary failure or cardiac collapse (2 CPR) by Chest CT or pulmonary angiography. All patients required ECMO support in addition to 2 endovascular Angiojet aspiration or 1 surgical pulmonary thromboembolectomy. The duration for ECMO survivors were 1, 2...