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Published on: June 11, 2019
Young Man with Cardiac Arrest Secondary to Undiagnosed Mediastinal Mass: A Case Report
Ian Mallett1, Bjorn Watsjold1, Anne K Chipman1
1University of Washington, Department of Emergency Medicine, Seattle, Washington.
Introduction:
A 20-year-old man with a reported history of asthma presented to the emergency department in cardiac arrest presumed to be caused by respiratory failure.
Case Report:
The patient was discovered to have central airway obstruction and concomitant superior vena cava compression caused by a large mediastinal mass-a condition termed mediastinal mass syndrome. While the patient regained spontaneous circulation after endotracheal intubation, he was challenging to ventilate requiring escalating interventions to maintain adequate ventilation.
Conclusion:
We describe complications of mediastinal mass syndrome and an approach to resuscitation, including ventilator adjustments, patient repositioning, double-lumen endotracheal tubes, specialty consultation, and extracorporeal life support.
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