An occult iatrogenic pneumothorax as a cosmetic procedure complication

Synchronous pneumothorax and venous thromboembolism after body contouring surgery

“…On the other hand, spontaneous pneumothorax can also occur during surgery due to various pathologic processes that can weaken the lung tissue and promote the formation of bullae, which are prone to rupture due to high ventilatory pressures and pulmonary pressure spikes during oxygen tank changes or intraoperative position changes [ 1 , 9 ]. Pneumothorax is recognized as a rare complication of liposuction and has been limited to case reports and small case series in the medical literature [ 2 , 10 , 11 ]. It has been described that possible risk factors for the development of intraoperative pneumothorax include axillary liposuction, use of flexible infiltration cannulas, scarring from previous liposuction, and positive pressure ventilation [ 2 ].…”