Malposition of a nasogastric feeding tube into the right pleural space of a poststroke patient

Nasogastric feeding tube plays an important role in administering enteral feeding and drug delivery for poststroke patients with consciousness disorders or poststroke dysphagia. Nevertheless, placement of nasogastric tubes is not without any risk of potential harm. Inadvertent malposition into the trachea or the distal tracheobronchial tree could induce severe pulmonary complications. As for poststroke patients with long-term dysphoria, such tubes have to be replaced periodically to prevent the overdue service of the tubes. Therefore, the risk of feeding tube misplacement into pulmonary system for these patients is increased. Here, we present a case of a 79-year-old poststroke patient with hydropneumothorax induced by malposition of nasogastric tube into the right pleura after routine replacement, accompanied by acute anterior wall myocardial infarction.