Bilateral tension pneumothorax with late-stage acute respiratory distress syndrome without mechanical ventilation: A case study

Abstract

Pneumothorax associated with ventilator induced lung injury is a frequent and fatal complication for patients with acuterespiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) receiving mechanical ventilation. There have been few cases of spontaneous bilateralpneumothorax in patients with late-stage ARDS who had not received mechanical ventilation. We describe the detailed courseof our case and a brief literature review on pneumothoraces in patients with late-stage ARDS who did not receive mechanicalventilation. Our case suggests that even in patients with ARDS not receiving ventilatory support, monitoring for the presence ofpneumothorax seems to be needed.