Case report: Post-thoracoscopy pendelluft monitoring

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Asynchronous alveolar ventilation, termed pendelluft, poses a risk of lung injury in spontaneously breathing individuals.
• Post-thoracoscopy patients are a population where pendelluft may occur and impact respiratory function.

Observation:

• Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) was utilized to assess pendelluft in a patient recovering from thoracoscopy.
• The EIT data revealed a substantial pendelluft amplitude (77.5% of tidal variation) and a regional time shift of 0.5 seconds.

Findings:

• This case marks the first report of pendelluft in a post-thoracoscopy patient.
• The findings indicate that pendelluft can negatively affect lung function in this patient group.

Implications:

• Early identification of pendelluft using EIT is crucial for managing post-thoracoscopy patients.
• Implementing targeted breathing adjustments and symptomatic treatments can improve patient outcomes and mitigate lung injury risk.