Tracheal injuries that are not the result of trauma are infrequent and are frequently associated with endobronchial operations such as intubation and thoracic surgery. The clinical effects of tracheal injuries can range from minor to life-threatening, depending on the degree of the damage and the time it takes to be recognized. Nontraumatic tracheal injuries are managed in a variety of ways, ranging from careful waiting to endobronchial intervention to surgical surgery. A tracheal laceration that failed surgical repair, caused a pneumothorax, and needed endobronchial injection of fibrin glue and 2-octyl cyanoacrylate with effective closure of a tracheo pleural fistula is given. Historically, surgery management was the backbone of tracheal laceration repair, but new data employing endobronchial procedures and careful monitoring has given encouraging outcomes.
Specific techniques to tracheal injury care are outlined, including open surgical procedure, bridging with an endotracheal tube, endobronchial implantation of stents and fibrin glue, and endobronchial surgical repair, as well as the possible limits and risks of these approaches.
