Incarcerated Giant Hiatal Hernia conditioning hearth shock: case report

Between the hiatal hernias, the type IV is the less frequent by the great defect, but this type had a high incidence of incarceration (5%), and a mortality rate up to 27%. Case: A female patient of 80 years-old was referred to our hospital by septic shock and abdominal pain. At physical exam she refers abdominal and thoracic pain, dyspnea and occasional threw up for the last 2 days, with a background of this symptoms the last 5 years, and gastroesophageal refl ux symptoms for 10 years. At admission, she referred epigastric and retrosternal pain, dyspnea, with an 02 of 75%, bowel sounds in left hemithorax, mean arterial pressure of 50mmHg with the use of norepinephrine. Laboratories do not reveal sepsis and CT scan reports a hiatal hernia of 9 cm with left hemithorax occupied by stomach, colon, and spleen. A cardiogenic shock by compression was suspected with this data and a laparotomy was scheduled. CT scan report was confi rmed and the mentioned organs were reduced to abdomen without problems, both diaphragmatic pillars were sutured and a Nissen fundoplication completed. After 6 hours’ norepinephrine was suspended and 48 hours after the patient were discharged uneventfully. Conclusion: Giant hiatal hernia must be suspected in patients with chronic abdominal and thoracic pain with refl ux symptoms because the complications associated with this disease could have a mortality near 30% in case of strangulation and a scheduled surgery could be very safe in the correct moment