Two unexpected deaths from pneumothorax.

Two patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax died despite intensive treatment. In the first the pneumothorax had been present for 10 days, and, after insertion of a chest drain, pulmonary oedema developed unilaterally, followed by cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated, but later died of a tension pneumothorax on the other side, probably due to cardiac massage and artificial ventilation. In the second patient, after insertion of a chest drain, mediastinal emphysema spread to the head and neck, causing fatal obstruction of the hypopharynx.