Korean J Anesthesiol.  2005 Oct;49(4):532-537. 10.4097/kjae.2005.49.4.532.

Bronchospasm during the Maintenance of General Anesthesia: A case report

• Oh SC
• Son YS
• Nam SW
• Yoon KJ

• KMID: 1936857
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2005.49.4.532

Abstract

Although a bronchospastic attack is common during the induction and emergence of general anesthesia, it is quite rare during maintenance of it. We experienced a severe case of a bronchospasm in a male patient during the maintenance of general anesthesia. His past medical history indicated no risk factors for the bronchospasm except for heavy smoking. He suffered from poor ventilation, hypercarbia and a pneumothorax that occurred abruptly, 2 hours after inducing general anesthesia. Ten hours later, he recovered his normal respiratory function without any respiratory complication. This case highlights the possibility of a bronchospasm during the maintenance of general anesthesia.

Keyword

bronchospasm; general anesthesia; hypercarbia; maintenance

MeSH Terms

Anesthesia, General*
Bronchial Spasm*
Humans
Male
Pneumothorax
Risk Factors
Smoke
Smoking
Ventilation
Smoke