Korean Journal of Legal Medicine  2008;32(2):144-149

Sudden Deaths During Endoscopic Thoracoscopic Sympathicotomy.

Gap Rae JO 1 ; Seong Muk JEONG ; Sang Yong LEE ; Kwang Hoon KIM ; Yong Woo AHN ; Gi Yeong HUH

Affiliations

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Keywords

Sudden death; Endoscopic thoracoscopic sympathicotomy

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Endoscopic thoracoscopic sympathicotomy (ETS) for treatment of hyperhidrosis is usually considered as a simple and safe procedure. The complication of ETS is low and no death following ETS has ever been reported in the literature without anecdotal fatal cases. Recently, we experienced two cases of intraoperative cardiac arrest and death. Two patients are suffered from sudden cardiac arrest after transection of the left sympathetic nerve trunk by the thoracoscopic method. Vigorous cardiopulmonary resuscitations were performed but both patients are not recovered. Autopsy examinations are performed and there are no remarkable pathology.