TY - JOUR T1 - Aspiration Via Congenital Broncho-esophageal Fistula After Lobectomy JF - Respiratory Care SP - 1195 LP - 1197 DO - 10.4187/respcare.01116 VL - 56 IS - 8 AU - Xue-Fei Hu AU - Chang Chen AU - Liang Duan AU - Yi Zhang AU - Wen Gao Y1 - 2011/08/01 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/56/8/1195.abstract N2 - Aspiration via a congenital broncho-esophageal fistula in an adult thoracotomy patient has not been previously reported. Repeated aspiration and subsequent respiratory failure if the fistula is not recognized could be life-threatening in these postoperative patients. We describe one such critical case, in which a broncho-esophageal fistula was discovered weeks after aspiration and the onset of respiratory failure after left lower lobectomy. This unusual case suggests that repeated localized pulmonary infections can indicate a broncho-esophageal fistula and that further investigations should be performed, including detailed history. ER -