Treatment of Severe Unilateral Pulmonary Interstitial Emphysema in a Preterm Infant

Sharla M Rent and Steven M Donn

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

^*Correspondance to: Steven M Donn 

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Abstract:

An extremely preterm infant developed severe unilateral pulmonary interstitial emphysema of the left lung. The marked heterogeneity of the patient’s lung disease made traditional high frequency ventilation strategies ineffective. Selective right mainstem intubation was attempted, and after 24 h of treatment there was nearly total resolution on the radiograph imaging and noted clinical improvement following the intervention. Single bronchial intubation (SBI) is a protective ventilation strategy utilized in cases of severe lung injury, including pulmonary interstitial emphysema, whereby a single lung is ventilated in isolation, allowing the injured lung to decompress and heal. Use of SBI in the neonate has been described in the literature since the 1970s, but there remains a lack of cases detailing its use in extremely preterm infants.

Keywords:

Prematurity; Respiratory distress syndrome; Pulmonary interstitial emphysema; High frequency ventilation

Cite the Article:

Rent SM, Donn SM. Treatment of Severe Unilateral Pulmonary Interstitial Emphysema in a Preterm Infant. Clin Case Rep Int. 2017; 1: 1019.