An Exceptional Case of Iatrogenic Pulmonary Artery Injury due to Chest Tube Insertion

We report an exceptional case of accidental pulmonary artery peripheral catheterization ascended to the proximal trunk following chest tube insertion. Because arterial injury was peripheral, an extreme urgent lateral thoracotomy with wedge resection allowed control the wound. Sixteen case reports describing pulmonary artery injury following a chest tube insertion were reported in the literature. In all cases, the tube was immediately clamped and left in situ but severe hypotension or hemorrhagic shock occurred in ten cases. Twelve patients were operated to remove the tube and control hemorrhage. In 5 cases it required pneumonectomy. The mortality rate was 33%. Pulmonary artery injury after chest tube insertion is an exceptional event with high mortality rate.