A rare cause of respiratory distress after transthoracic oesophagectomy

Transthoracic oesophagectomy is a standard surgical procedure for oesophageal cancer. Because of thoracotomy and lung handling, perioperative pulmonary complications make such procedures challenging. The issues related to respiratory complications may be predicted and managed accordingly. However, we report two cases of respiratory compromise caused due to a peculiar iatrogenic component.