title: Tracheal rupture after endotracheal intubation - A report of three cases -.
abstract: Tracheal rupture is a rare but serious complication that occurs after endotracheal intubation. It usually presents as a linear lesion in the membranous wall of the trachea, and is more prevalent in women and patients older than 50 years. The clinical manifestations of tracheal injury include subcutaneous emphysema and respiratory distress. We report the cases of three female patients of old age presenting tracheal rupture after endotracheal intubation. Two cases received surgical repair without complication and one recovered uneventfully after conservative management. We presume that the tracheal injuries were caused by over-inflation of cuff and sudden movement of the tube by positional change. Therefore, we recommend cuff pressure monitoring during general anesthesia and minimized movement of the head and neck at positional change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyungsun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Jung Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Deokkyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeongwoo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ji Seon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Dong Chan
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seonghoon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ko