Abstract
The purpose of this report is to describe the discovery and management of an unanticipated injury during fibreoptic tracheal intubation. A 23-yr-old man sustained blunt cervical, thoracic and abdominal trauma in a motor vehicle accident. He was brought to the operating room for urgent management of his abdominal and cervical spine injuries. Examination of his airway during awake fibreoptic tracheal intubation revealed an unexpected tracheal injury. Surgical repair of the trachea was uneventful. The diagnosis and airway management of tracheal rupture are discussed. This case illustrates the importance of a full diagnostic examination during invasive anaesthetic procedures such as tracheal intubation.
Résumé
Cette observation décrit la découverte fortuite et la prise en charge d’une lésion trachéale pendant une intubation fibroscopique. Le sujet est un traumatisé cervical, thoracique et abdominal de 23 ans. Il est amené en salle d’opération pour le traitement urgent de lésions abdominales et cervicales. L’examen fibroscopique des voies aériennes à l’état vigile révèle une lésion trachéale insoupçonnée. La réparation chirurgicale de la trachée se déroule sans incident. Le diagnostic et la prise en charge de la rupture trachéale sont discutés. Cette observation illustre l’importance d’un examen diagnostique complet au moment d’une procédure aussi effractive que l’intubation trachéale.
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Huang, J., Needs, R.E., Miller, H.A.B. et al. Unsuspected tracheal rupture in blunt thoracic trauma. Can J Anaesth 41, 1208–1210 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03020663
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03020663