A Successful Anesthesia Management of Intraoperative Cardiac Arrest Secondary to Pneumothorax During Laparoscopy Nephrectomy: A Case Report

Intraoperative cardiac arrest is a rare but life‐threatening condition. Since the patient is under continuous anesthesia monitoring, it is generally rapidly recognized by anesthesiologists. We present a case of a 35‐year‐old female who had an intraoperative collapse during laparoscopy nephrectomy. Shortly after completion of the laparoscopic nephrectomy and prior to extubation, the patient developed sudden cardiovascular collapse and cardiac arrest caused by an unrecognized tension pneumothorax. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was performed for nearly 15 min, and the patient had a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The patient was managed as per Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) protocol and was discharged on the 10 th day of admission without any sequelae. To prevent perioperative catastrophic events, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Standard II monitoring should be performed; anesthesiologists should be vigilant with a high index of suspicion of such life‐threatening conditions, provide appropriate and timely care, and follow standard management protocol.