Unanticipated hemothorax during general anesthesia

Abstract

We experienced a case of uncommon spontaneous hemothorax during general anesthesia. A 72-year-old woman underwent emergency repair of damaged ascending colon. Her chest roentgenogram before surgery revealed no abnormalities. After the uneventful surgery, the trachea was extubated and the patient breathed without difficulty with stable vital signs. However, the S_{p O 2} varied around 95% with a 100% oxygen mask. Chest roentgenogram obtained after extubation showed a massive amount of fluid in the pleural cavity. A chest drainage tube was inserted, and approximately 1000 ml of frank blood was drawn without air leakage. Thereafter, her oxygenation remarkably improved. We could not determine the etiology of the hemothorax.