Iatrogenic pneumothorax and mortality in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

In a review of 22 infants who underwent surgical repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernias, it was noted that one of the most common factors correlating with death was perioperative tension pneumothorax. Each of the seven infants who died developed an iatrogenic pneumothorax with air leak due to face-mask or endotracheal ventilation with pressures in excess of 34 cm H2O, or to thoracentesis. Only two infants with tension pneumothorax survived. Infants who developed tension pneumothorax experienced severe respiratory distress at an earlier age and required more vigorous resuscitative measures than those infants without an air leak.