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Inadvertent intubation of the left mainstem bronchus

1993; Elsevier BV; Volume: 11; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0735-6757(93)90054-f

1532-8171

Brian J. Ribeiro,

Foreign Body Medical Cases

This is a case report of a previously healthy 61-year-old white male who was emergently intubated in the field by paramedical personnel and transported to the emergency department. Physical examination revealed minimal-to-absent breath sounds over the right hemithorax associated with cyanosis of the head, face, and upper extremities. Emergency needle decompression of the right lung was accomplished without improvement. A postmortem chest radiograph revealed a left mainstem bronchus intubation. Use of the physical examination, the endotracheal tube depth, and an awareness of the possible—but rare—complication of left mainstem bronchus intubation may lead to accurate diagnosis and treatment and avoid unnecessary procedures.