Postoperative Acute Respiratory Failure In Patients Treated Surgically For Goiters

The aim of the study was to present a clinical picture, treatment and prognosis regarding patients who developed acute respiratory failure (ARF) while treated surgically for a goiter.

A total of 3810 patients were treated for goiters between 2008 to 2013. Symptoms of postoperative ARF were recognized in 39 (1%) patients.

Symptoms of postoperative ARF were a postoperative hemorrhage in 31 (79.4%), lymphorrhagia in 1 (2.6%), bilateral paralysis of recurrent laryngeal nerves in 6 (15.4%) and acute circulatory - respiratory failure in 1 (2.6%). Postoperative hemorrhage appeared in 19 patients operated for nodular goiter, 4 with a retrosternal nodular goiter, 1x nontoxic recurrent retrosternal nodular goiter, 1x toxic recurrent retrosternal goiter nodular goiter, 2x Graves'goiter and 4x with malignant goiter. The cause of hemorrhage was parenchymal bleeding from the stumps and / or short neck muscles (29x), arterial bleeding (1x) and bleeding into the subcutaneous tissue (1x). Massive lymphorrhagia appeared as a result of damage to the thoracic duct after total thyroidectomy due to papillary thyroid carcinoma with cervical lymph node dissection on the left side. All patients who were diagnosed with bilateral paralysis of RLN, tracheostomy was performed. Of all 39 patients who underwent surgery two died - one in 6 days after surgery due to myocardial infarction, and another as a result of micropulmonary embolism and acute circulatory - respiratory failure in 18 hours after surgery.

1. The most frequent causes of acute respiratory failure in postoperative period are a hemorrhage from the operation site and bilateral paralysis of recurrent laryngeal nerves. 2. Acute postoperative respiratory failure is an indication for postoperative wound revision.