title: Unsuspected tracheal rupture in blunt thoracic trauma.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Needs
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Devitt
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries; D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D004947:Esophagus / Q000293:injuries; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008297:Male; D012421:Rupture; D013898:Thoracic Injuries; D014132:Trachea / Q000293:injuries*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating