Case Reports
Nonoperative Management of Tracheal Laceration During Endotracheal Intubation

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Abstract

Tracheal laceration is a rare but potentially devastating complication of endotracheal intubation. Traditional management of intubation-related tracheal laceration is operative. Nonoperative management of a woman noted to have a tracheal laceration during intubation is described. Criteria by which nonoperative treatment can be considered are outlined.

(Ann Thorac Surg 1997;63:240–2)

Section snippets

Comment

Tracheal laceration is a rare complication of endotracheal intubation. The literature describing this injury has focused largely on its cause and early identification [1, 2, 3, 4]. The tracheal lacerations in these reports were discovered either intraoperatively or within 24 hours postoperatively. Most were repaired surgically. Few reports in the English-language literature describe nonoperative management of intubation-related tracheal lacerations [5, 6, 7].

D’Odemont and associates [[5]]

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