[Thoracic Drainage Using Nasal Airway for Postoperative Broncho-pleural Fistula]

A 61-year-old man with right lung cancer underwent right lower lobectomy. He suffered from postoperative broncho-pleural fistula, which was treated with thoracic drainage. After disappearance of air leakage, a drainage tube was removed. Forty days later, severe back pain, cough and fever were observed. Chest computed tomography showed enlarged thoracic cavity around the bronchial stump. Bronchoscopical examination revealed complete dehiscence of the bronchial stump. Because thoracic cavity was localized and located dorsal to the bronchial stump, a fenestration surgery was difficult. We placed a nasal airway from the dorsal to directly thoracic cavity, followed by disappearance of the symptoms. Thoracic cavity around the bronchial stump was gradually decreased and a nasal airway was successfully removed. Because a nasal airway was soft enough to keep supine position, we chose it as a drainage tube. Thoracic drainage using nasal airway may be a suitable therapeutic approach for localized small thoracic cavity.