Delayed Hypoxia During Pediatric Posterior Spinal Fusion Secondary to
Intraoperative Pneumothorax: Case Report
Abstract
Posterior spinal surgery has the risk of perioperative respiratory
complications. We describe the delayed diagnosis of an intraoperative
pneumothorax in a teenage girl with idiopathic scoliosis scheduled for
thoracolumbar posterior fusion. After an uneventful surgery, the oxygen
saturation abruptly decreased to 65%. A chest x-ray showed a moderate
pneumothorax.