Treatment of Acute Silicoproteinosis by Whole-Lung Lavage

We describe a patient with biopsy-confirmed acute silicoproteinosis whose course was complicated by acute hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Without clinical improvement despite antibiotic and steroid treatment, the patient was scheduled for whole-lung lavage under general anesthesia. Anesthetic challenges included double-lumen tube placement and single-lung ventilation in a hypoxic patient, facilitating lung lavage, and protecting the contralateral lung from catastrophic spillage.

Source: Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - May 27, 2013 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Stafford, M., Cappa, A., Weyant, M., Lara, A., Ellis, J., Weitzel, N. S., Puskas, F. Tags: Clinical Challenges Source Type: research