Aortic perforation following chest tube insertion: an unusual complication

Faruk Toktaş,

doi:10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2013.5830

Faruk Toktaş¹, Gündüz Yümün¹, Mehmet Tuğrul Göncü¹, Serhat Yalçınkaya², Şenol Yavuz¹

¹Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey
²Department of Thoracic Surgery, Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Training and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey

DOI : 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2013.5830

Tube thoracostomy is a routine intervention which is used in cardiovascular surgery clinics. Although it is a life-saving intervention in most cases, it has serious complications leading to mortality. We encountered an ascending aortic perforation, an unusual complication following apical chest tube insertion, in a 71-year-old male patient who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in our clinic. This complication was managed successfully and the patient was discharged with a complete recovery. This rare but fatal complication should be considered for the patients undergoing tube thoracostomy, particularly with a toracar. It should also be noticed whether the patients have mediastinal shift in postoperative period.

Keywords : Aortic rupture; chest tube; thoracostomy

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