Surgical Repair of a Large, Infected Pneumatocele in a Patient with a Left Ventricular Assist Device

Pulmonary pneumatoceles are air-filled, thin-walled cavities that may develop within the lung parenchyma. Pneumatoceles typically develop as a complication of pneumonia, but they may also result from infections, trauma, or positive pressure ventilation. We describe the case of a patient with a left ventricular assist device for whom surgical resection of a large, infected pneumatocele was required. Instead of performing percutaneous drainage, we decided to surgically resect the pneumatocele in order to more effectively clean the upper lobe of the lung and prevent infection of the left ventricular assist device. (J Card Surg 2009;24:353-355).