Life-threatening Airway Edema after Arthroscopic Repair of Massive Rotator Cuff Tear: A Case Report

Moon,  Young Lae; Yu,  Byung Sik; So,  Keum Young; Lim,  Kyung Joon; Kang,  Jeong Hoon

doi:2007.10.1.136

Clin Shoulder Elb > Volume 10(1); 2007 > Article

Case Report

Journal of the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society 2007;10(1):136-139.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5397/CiSE.2007.10.1.136 Published online June 30, 2007.

Life-threatening Airway Edema after Arthroscopic Repair of Massive Rotator Cuff Tear: A Case Report

Young Lae Moon, Byung Sik Yu, Keum Young So, Kyung Joon Lim, Jeong Hoon Kang

¹Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Korea. orthoped@chosun.ac.kr
²Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine , College of Medicine, Chosun University, Korea.

관절경하 광범위 회전근 개 파열 수술 후 발생한 치명적인 기도 부종 - 증례 보고 -

문영래*·유병식·소금영·임경준·강정훈

조선대학교 의과대학 정형외과학교실, 마취통증의학교실

Abstract

Shoulder arthroscopic surgeries are an accepted technique for many shoulder disease and have many advantages over open surgeries4,6). To date, shoulder arthroscopic surgery have been rare complications that compromise patient airway, caused by the leakage of irrigation fluid out of the shoulder joint space into the surrounding soft tissues and then the neck and the pharynx. This report presents a case of life-threatening airway obstruction due to extra-articular saline collection during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. In concluding we should hourly check the patient's neck swelling undergoing shoulder arthroscopic surgery, because anesthetized patients cannot complain of the airway problem may progress until it becomes life-threatening.

Key Words: Shoulder arthroscopy; Life-threatening complication; Airway edema