2022 Volume 29 Issue 1 Pages 15-18
A 72-year-old man admitted for sigmoid colon cancer underwent long intestinal tube placement. On day 13 after insertion of the tube, the patient complained of dyspnea. Laryngoscopy revealed bilateral vocal cord paralysis. He diagnosed as nasogastric tube syndrome and a tracheostomy was performed. Vocal cord paralysis began to improve by day 12 after onset and resolved 6 months later. Colostomy closure was scheduled at 9 months after onset of paralysis and we used a supraglottic airway during the second surgery. The patient did not experience recurrence of vocal cord paralysis. For dyspnea in patients with an indwelling nasogastric tube, it is important to suspect nasogastric tube syndrome and promptly diagnose it with laryngoscopy and determine the indication for tracheostomy. To avoid recurrence of paralysis in patients with a history of nasogastric tube syndrome, care must be taken to secure the airway during subsequent surgical procedures.
