A case of acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by the contralateral lung injury after surgical treatment for lung cancer

Abstract

A case undergoing right lower lobectomy for lung cancer developed acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by contralateral lung injury. Acute lung injury is usually seen in the bilateral lung in postoperative deterioration of usual interstitial pneumonia. However, in this case acute lung injury emerged in the contralateral lung. The reason it emerged only in the untouched contralateral lung is unknown. It may be that ventilator-induced lung injury contributed to contralateral lung injury developing in the dependent lung during one lung ventilation. We could not find any report relating to contralateral lung injury after surgical treatment for lung cancer. We regard this patient as a rare and important case.