Subclavian Artery Injury During Lung Tumor Resection

An open penetrating injury of the subclavian artery is an extremely rare catastrophic situation in thoracic surgery. We experienced a 57-year-old case of iatrogenic subclavian artery injury during the resection of a lung tumor. The injury occurred during the dissection of the adhesion between the stapling site of the previous bullectomy and the chest wall. Systolic blood pressure dropped below 50 mmHg immediately after the injury. Following primary hemostasis achieved with suture closure, the site of injury was sufficiently exposed and successfully repaired.