Open AccessSurvival case of acute and severe respiratory distress due to spontaneous tension gastrothorax
Author(s) -
Sanjan Asanaru Kunju,
Prithvishree Ravindra,
Ramya Kumar Madabushi Vijay,
Priya Pattath Sankaran
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
bmj case reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.231
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 1757-790X
DOI - 10.1136/bcr-2020-235281
Subject(s) - medicine , thoracostomy , mediastinal shift , chest tube , pneumothorax , thorax (insect anatomy) , laparotomy , surgery , exploratory laparotomy , radiology , chest pain , respiratory distress , air trapping , ards , chest radiograph , lung , radiography , computed tomography , anatomy
A 20-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain and shortness of breath. She was in obstructive shock with absent breath sounds on the left haemithorax. Chest X-ray showed a large radiolucent shadow with absent lung markings and mediastinal shift to the right side with concerns for tension pneumothorax. Though tube thoracostomy was done on the left side of the chest, column movement was absent. To confirm the diagnosis CT with contrast was done that revealed a huge left side diaphragmatic defect with abdominal contents in the thorax and mediastinal structures are shifted to left. She underwent emergency laparotomy and postoperative period was uneventful.