Successful treatment with one-way endobronchial valve of large air-leakage complicating narrow-bore enteral feeding tube malposition

Tracheopulmonary intubation is the most common misplacement site for narrow-bore feeding tube and it might be associated with severe pleuro-pulmonary complications. A 38-year-old female with a severe bilateral pneumonia and acute respiratory insufficiency was admitted in the ICU, intubated, and mechanically ventilated. Few hours after the insertion of a narrow-bore feeding tube the patient's oxygen saturation dropped with hypotension and tachycardia. A large left-side hydropneurnothorax developed requiring a chest tube. Air-leakage was important and bronchoscopic implant of one-way endobronchial valve was accomplished. Immediate and substantial decrease of air-leakage was observed, and it completely stopped after 5 days; as soon as the patient was extubated. Endobrochial one-way valve, specifically designed for bronchoscopic lung volume reduction, resulted in being safe and effective to control a significant and prolonged air-leakage due to a malposition of a narrow-bore feeding tube. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.