Open AccessDiaphragmatic rupture after epidural anaesthesia in a patient with diaphragmatic eventration
Author(s) -
Faheem M.,
Fayad A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
european journal of anaesthesiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2346
pISSN - 0265-0215
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2346.1999.00538.x
Subject(s) - medicine , surgery , diaphragmatic breathing , anesthesia , diaphragmatic rupture , general anaesthesia , weakness , diaphragm (acoustics) , diaphragmatic hernia , hernia , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , acoustics , loudspeaker
Summary An 85‐year‐old man with undiagnosed eventration of the left hemidiaphragm had an above‐knee amputation under epidural anaesthesia. His post‐operative course was stormy with two episodes of cardiovascular collapse. On the third post‐operative day, rupture of the left hemidiaphragm was diagnosed, the bowel had herniated into the left hemithorax. It is proposed that the left hemidiaphragm ruptured spontaneously because of muscular weakness secondary to the thoracic segmental blockade associated with lumber epidural anaesthesia.