[Pulmonary atelectasis in bent lateral decubital position (nephrectomy). Apropos of a case]

Here we have the case of a right nephrectomy ureterectomy for urothelial neoformations in the upper urinary apparatus, in the position of a left flexed lateral decubitus (nephrectomy) practised to a patient, in which a small right pleural aperture was unnoticed until the end of the operation when the closing was being carried out. In the immediate postoperative, the patient developed hypoxia and hypercapnia, as well as an atelectasis of the lower lobus in the left lung, that appeared in the radiological test. We comment now the causes that could have originated this picture, such as overweight, the position of the patient during the operation, its length and the pleural aperture throughout the surgical act, focusing the study in this latter point.