Unilateral diaphragmatic dysfunction following thoracic outlet surgery diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound

Wesley Cain; Sunny S Cai; Christian Salcedo; Steven Embry; Melissa Scalise

doi:10.1080/20009666.2021.1915550

Unilateral diaphragmatic dysfunction following thoracic outlet surgery diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound

J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2021 Jun 21;11(4):551-553. doi: 10.1080/20009666.2021.1915550.

Authors

Wesley Cain¹, Sunny S Cai¹, Christian Salcedo¹, Steven Embry¹, Melissa Scalise¹

Affiliation

¹ The Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Saint Thomas-UT Internal Medicine Clinic, Nashville, TN, USA.

Abstract

A patient with recent thoracic outlet decompression surgery presented with acute dyspnea and was found by point-of-care ultrasound to have diaphragm dysfunction. This case highlights an unexpected cause of respiratory complaints in the outpatient setting discovered at the bedside, utilizing point-of-care ultrasound protocol.

Keywords: Point-of-care ultrasound; diaphragm dysfunction; thoracic outlet.