Idiopathic bronchial hemorrhage: a rare but catastrophic complication in cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND: Hemoptysis is a common complication in all kinds of surgery. However, it is rarely critical because it resolves with or without intervention. CASE PRESENTATION: Here the authors present what is believed to be an unprecedented report of a case involving a fatal idiopathic bronchial hemorrhage complication during cardiac surgery. Eighty-five-year-old female with severe aorticvalve stenosis had elective aortic valve replacement. Subsequently, she developed diffuse bilateral severe idiopathic bronchial hemorrhage which required maximum intervention such as external bronchial ligation, V-A ECMO, coil embolization of bronchial artery and internal airway blockage by spigot. CONCLUSIONS: Airway bleeding is not a rare complication in cardiac surgery, but this case should increase awareness of this potentially life threatening perioperative complication. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13019-016-0477-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.