Young Man with Cardiac Arrest Secondary to Undiagnosed Mediastinal Mass: A Case Report

INTRODUCTION: A 20-year-old man with a reported history of asthma presented to the emergency department in cardiac arrest presumed to be caused by respiratory failure. CASE REPORT: The patient was discovered to have central airway obstruction and concomitant superior vena cava compression caused by a large mediastinal mass—a condition termed mediastinal mass syndrome. While the patient regained spontaneous circulation after endotracheal intubation, he was challenging to ventilate requiring escalating interventions to maintain adequate ventilation. CONCLUSION: We describe complications of mediastinal mass syndrome and an approach to resuscitation, including ventilator adjustments, patient repositioning, double-lumen endotracheal tubes, specialty consultation, and extracorporeal life support.