Successful Tractotomy Technique for a Penetrating Lung Injury in a Patient with One Lung

• Main Authors: Dong Hoon Kang, Hyun Oh Park, Sung Ho Moon, In Seok Jang, Jung Hoon Byun, Sung Hwan Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2017-10-01
• Series: Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
• Subjects: Lung injury; Trauma; Foreign body
• Online Access: http://www.kjtcvs.org/journal/download_pdf.php?doi=10.5090/kjtcs.2017.50.5.399

We report the case of a patient with penetrating chest trauma (right chest) who had undergone a left pneumonectomy due to pulmonary tuberculosis 24 years ago. We performed an emergent thoracotomy, finding an opening of the penetrating wound in a lower-lobe basal segment of the right lung. A stapled tractotomy was performed along the tract. Bleeding control and air-leakage control was done easily and rapidly. The patient was discharged without any complications on the seventh day of admission. Tractotomy can be a good option for treating penetrating lung injuries in patients with limited lung function who need emergent surgery.