Acute Airway Obstruction During an Interventional Radiology Procedure in a Patient With a Mediastinal Mass. Case Report

Abstract

Mediastinal masses are relatively frequent in patients coming to specialized oncology services. It is important to recognize the effects and influences of these lesions on the anesthetic management of the patient, considering that associated complications are usually devastating, and even fatal. We present the case of an adult patient with a large anterior mediastinal mass compressing the airway, who required endobronchial stenting before treatment of the tumor with radiotherapy. It was decided to perform the procedure under sedation in the operating room. After the onset of sedation, the patient developed acute airway obstruction leading to catastrophic consequences. There are descriptions in the literature of how anterior mediastinal masses affect the airway with different degrees of severity depending on factors such as the size and location of the tumor, the degree of invasion of the tracheobronchial lumen, etc. There are clinical and paraclinical elements that help predict airway-associated complications, and that need to be assessed carefully as part of the preanesthetic evaluation. The challenge for anesthesiologists in the face of patients with this type of tumor is to understand the mechanical and physiological effects of these lesions, to recognize predicting factors of intra-operative and post-operative complications, and to initiate rapid and appropriate management when difficulties arise during the anesthetic procedure.