PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - P Foucher
AU  - M Merati
AU  - N Baudouin
AU  - O Reybet-Degat
AU  - P Camus
AU  - L Jeannin
TI  - Fatal ball-valve airway obstruction by an extensive blood clot during mechanical ventilation
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.96.09102181
DP  - 1996 Oct 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 2181--2182
VI  - 9
IP  - 10
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/9/10/2181.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/9/10/2181.full
SO  - Eur Respir J1996 Oct 01; 9
AB  - A ball-valve airway obstruction by a blood clot cast of almost the whole bronchial tree occurred in a small-cell lung cancer patient, who had been on mechanical ventilation for 9 days. Chest radiographs revealed overinflated lungs. Attempts to remove the cast via fibreoptic bronchoscopy were unsuccessful and the patient died. A postmortem extraction of the clot was performed with a rigid tube. This case is rare because of absence of severe haemoptysis and lung volume reduction.