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Case Reports
. 2023 Jul 13;23(1):360.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04140-9.

A rare cause of air-leak syndrome in a premature newborn: a case report

Ozan Uzunhan  1 , Mihriban Begüm Yıldırım  2 , Can Eser  3 , Kazım Öztarhan  4 , Alaettin Çelik  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

A rare cause of air-leak syndrome in a premature newborn: a case report

Ozan Uzunhan et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary complications, such as airway leak syndrome, are common in preterm neonates; however, bronchial rupture is a rarely seen phenomenon.

Case presentation: In this case, we present a preterm newborn who developed pneumomediastinum and pneumothorax. The pneumothorax persisted, despite placement of a thorax tube, requiring a thoracotomy to detect and treat the bronchial rupture.

Conclusion: Physicians should have a high suspicion of bronchial rupture in patients with persistent air leak syndrome, even after thorax tube placement and continuous negative pressure implementation.

Keywords: Air-leak syndrome; Bronchial rupture; Iatrogenic airway damage; Persistent pneumothorax.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A: Initial X-ray showing pneumomediastinum. B: Left pneumothorax and mediastinal shift to the right side. C: Expanded left lung after thorax tube placement. D: Repeat pneumothorax in the left lung. E: Repeat pneumothorax, post-second thorax tube placement. F: After 1st thoracotomy, fully expanded left lung
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A: The perforated area was repaired by using a pleural patch, and the left 5th intercostal muscle long peduncle. B: Fibrin glue and spongestan were used as an anchorage on top of the patch. C: Large PDA was closed with one silk suture
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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