Argon beam coagulator: an effective adjunct to stapled pulmonary tractotomy to control hemorrhage in penetrating pulmonary injuries

Stapled pulmonary tractotomy with selective vascular ligation is a rapid technique used to control hemorrhage in penetrating pulmonary injuries and has assumed an important role in the trauma surgical armamentarium for the management of these injuries. This technique was designed as tissue sparing to avoid complications well known to occur with extensive pulmonary resections. Multiple studies have validated and reported this technique to be both safe and effective. Here we present the use of the argon beam coagulator as a valid adjunct to stapled pulmonary tractotomy for the management of penetrating pulmonary injuries. To our knowledge, the use of this technique has not been reported for control of massive intraparenchymal pulmonary hemorrhage.