A Video-Assisted Endotracheal Suture Technique for Correction of Distal Tracheal Laceration After Intubation

The incidence of tracheal laceration is 1 of 20,000 intubations. The most frequently affected area is the posterior tracheal wall (membranous). Risk factors include several forced attempts at intubation, inexperience of the clinician, tracheal introducers (guidewires) that protrude beyond the tip of the tube, and emergency procedures. Surgical treatment of tracheal lacerations can be by a transtracheal suture technique or a right thoracotomy. Using the concept of minimally invasive surgical procedures, we reported the treatment of 2 patients with tracheal lacerations greater than 5 cm in the distal trachea that were treated with endotracheal video-assisted suturing using a cervical incision. (Ann Thorac Surg 2012;93:2073-5) (C) 2012 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons