[Adult respiratory distress syndrome associated with thoracic surgical interventions and spontaneous pneumothorax].

The mechanisms of development of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were studied in 6 patients (3 males and 3 females aged 30 to 48 years) with disseminated complicated respiratory tuberculosis associated with thoracic surgical interventions. Spontaneous pneumothorax is shown to be one of the leading risk factors of ARDS in patients after thoracic surgery for disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis. ARDS after operations for disseminated destructive and complicated tuberculosis is a poor prognostic sign to life and the course of the underlying disease and frequently results in a fatal outcome. A more thorough preoperative preparation of these patients, which involves the assessment of indications for and contraindications to surgical intervention from functional criteria, is needed to prevent ARDS.