Selective bronchial occlusion for treatment of a bronchopleural fistula in an extremely preterm infant

Abstract

Neonatal pulmonary air leak commonly occurs as a complication of mechanical ventilation in infants with underlying hyaline membrane disease. They can commonly be managed conservatively or with the application of a chest drain, but some severe cases pose a significant challenge in finding an alternative therapeutic solution. Selective bronchial occlusion represents an unconventional rescue therapy for treating bronchopleural fistula resistant to the standard therapy. A 27-week gestation preterm infant ventilated for respiratory distress syndrome developed tension right-sided pneumothorax. Conventional modalities of treatment were tried and were unsuccessful. Intermittent selective bronchial occlusion with a Fogarty’s catheter and high-frequency oscillatory ventilation resulted in considerable improvement in the infant’s clinical condition and radiographic findings.