April 17, 2013 Benjamin J. Wycherly, MD; Matthew K. Steehler, MD; Hosai Hesham, MD; Kevin Burke, MD; Sonya Malekzadeh, MD
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Abstract
We conducted an experiment to compare collagen deposition in tracheal stenoses dilated with room-temperature balloons and stenoses dilated with balloons at a subfreezing temperature (-10°C). Six New Zealand white rabbits underwent endoscopic tracheal injury. Tracheal dilation was performed at 3 weeks postinjury with either a room-temperature balloon or a vascular cryoplasty balloon. Five surviving rabbits were sacrificed at either 2 weeks (n = 3) or 4 weeks (n = 2) postdilation (1 rabbit that was not able to tolerate dilation was euthanized during the procedure). A blinded pathologist graded histologic sections of the injured tracheas for collagen content. The tracheal collagen deposits in the 3 animals sacrificed at 2 weeks postdilation were all graded as moderate. However, at the 4-week postdilation examination, there was a marked difference in collagen deposition between the rabbit that underwent room-temperature dilation and the rabbit that underwent subfreezing dilation; while the former showed moderate collagen deposition, the deposition in the latter was only mild. In conclusion, this pilot study showed that tracheal dilation with balloon cryotherapy decreased collagen deposition in the injured airway of 1 animal. Larger studies are required to determine whether balloon cryotherapy improves the long-term patency of immature tracheal stenosis.
September 7, 2012 Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, MD; Flavia Rossi, MD; Bassel Alkhalil, MD
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Abstract
Primary tracheal carcinoid tumor is an extremely rare disorder that has been reported only occasionally in the medical literature. We report a case of a 36-year-old African American woman who presented to the emergency department complaining of persistent neck pain for the preceding week. She was 2 weeks postpartum and had no significant medical history. Laboratory workup was unremarkable. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a polypoid mass in the trachea. After bronchoscopy and laser ablation of the mass were performed, the final diagnosis of carcinoid tumor was made. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of this tumor in a postpartum patient. Further studies regarding the interactions between the natural history of carcinoid tumors and pregnancy are warranted. Their infrequency, clinical features, and pathophysiology make tracheal carcinoid tumors a formidable and interesting diagnostic challenge.
April 30, 2012 J. Madana, MS, DNB; Deeke Yolmo, MS; Sunil Kumar Saxena, MS; S. Gopalakrishnan, MS
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Abstract
Tracheocele-an outpouching of tracheal mucous membrane-is an uncommon entity. It can occur as a congenital or acquired form. The congenital entity remains mostly dormant until adulthood, and then it typically presents as a herniation with multiple air-filled sacs. The acquired form develops as the result of blunt trauma, recurrent pulmonary infection, intubation, instrumentation, or surgery, and it typically presents as a single paratracheal cavity. We present an extremely rare case of a tracheocele associated with multiple congenital anomalies involving the face, limbs, and heart.
March 1, 2012 Tim A. Iseli, MBBS, FRACS, Claire E. Iseli, MBBS, MS, J. Blake Golden, MD, Virginia L. Jones, MD, Arthur M. Boudreaux, MD, James R. Boyce, MD, David M. Weeks, MD, and William R. Carroll, MD, FACS
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of surgical pathology, anesthesiologist experience, and airway technique on surgically relevant outcomes in patients identified by preoperative laryngoscopy to have a difficult airway due to head and neck pathology. We prospectively recorded a series of 152 difficult airway cases due to head and neck pathology out of 2,145 direct laryngoscopies undertaken between November 2005 and June 2008. One of two senior anesthesiologists specializing in head and neck procedures intubated 101 (66.4%) of the 152 patients and did so 3.3 minutes faster (p = 0.51), with better oxygenation (87.3 vs. 81.8%; p = 0.02) and fewer airway plan changes (p = 0.001) than did other, nonspecialist anesthesiologists. Predictors of failure of the first intubation plan included: cancer diagnosis (p = 0.02), previous radiotherapy (p = 0.03), and supraglottic lesions (p = 0.03). Glottic/subglottic lesions required the most intubation attempts (p = 0.02). Awake fiberoptic intubation was the most common method used (44.7%) but resulted in a change in the airway plan in 6 cases (8.8%). Gas induction maintained the best oxygenation (p = 0.01). Awake tracheostomy was infrequent (1.3%) and took the longest (p = 0.006). We concluded that difficult airways due to head and neck pathology require teamwork and a backup plan. An anesthesiologist specializing in head and neck procedures may help to avoid adverse outcomes associated with cancer, especially previously irradiated supraglottic/glottic lesions, leading to a less frequent need for awake tracheostomy.
January 25, 2012 Roy Rajan, MD and Jerome W. Thompson, MD
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Abstract
We describe the case of a 20-month-old girl with a gastrostomy tube who presented with stridor, daily emesis, stertor, and mild neck retractions. Endoscopic and radiologic investigations revealed a dilated esophagus, an associated tracheal compression, and a paraesophageal hernia secondary to a slipped Nissen fundoplication. The patient underwent a revision fundoplication, and her stridor, stertor, and neck retractions subsided significantly. She tolerated tube feeding without emesis and was discharged home. We recommend a careful evaluation of fundoplication in patients who have undergone the procedure who present with stridor and frequent emesis. Esophageal dilation and associated tracheal compression should be considered in the differential diagnosis, and in such a case, revision of the gastric wrap should alleviate the problem.
November 22, 2011 Rowley S. Busino, MD, Huma A. Quraishi, MD, and Ian T. Cohen, MD
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Abstract
We present the case of a female neonate with expiratory stridor that was caused by a bronchogenic cyst that led to tracheobronchomalacia. Rigid endoscopy revealed that a severe anterior compression of the tracheobronchial tree had caused tracheomalacia and right bronchomalacia. Computed tomography of the chest with intravenous contrast demonstrated the presence of a mediastinal mass anterior to the trachea and bronchus. Following a complete excision via a median sternotomy, histopathologic examination identified the mass as a bronchogenic cyst with respiratory epithelial lining and cartilage elements. The patient experienced a complete resolution of her respiratory symptoms postoperatively.
September 20, 2011 Christopher L. Smelley, DO, Rebecca Bowen, MD, and Cherie-Ann O. Nathan, MD, FACS
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Abstract
Tracheal diverticula are rarely encountered, and only a handful of cases have been described in the literature. In most of these cases the patient was asymptomatic. When symptoms have occurred, they usually had an airway component such as cough, dyspnea, and recurrent respiratory infection. Imaging techniques-particularly computed tomography-are beneficial for diagnosing a tracheal diverticulum because bronchoscopy can sometimes miss the point of communication with the trachea. We report the case of a 62-year-old woman with a tracheal diverticulum that manifested as an intermittent, painful right neck mass with associated cough, dysphonia, dysphagia/odynophagia, and an occasional strangulation/choking sensation.
September 20, 2011 Elizabeth A. Kelly, MD, Arunkumar N. Badi, MD, PhD, Joel H. Blumin, MD, and David M. Poetker, MD
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Abstract
We report a case of a post-tracheotomy suprastomal granuloma in the early postoperative phase that caused subacute airway obstruction in a 28-year-old woman. The patient had undergone the tracheotomy during the surgical treatment of a submental abscess. During recovery, several capping trials had failed. Therefore, direct laryngoscopy was performed on postoperative day 11, and it revealed that the airway was being obstructed by a tracheal granuloma. The granuloma was managed with a partial resection and corticosteroids. The patient was successfully decannulated with no recurrence of the granuloma. To the best of our knowledge, airway obstruction secondary to a tracheal granuloma has not been previously reported as an early complication of a traditional surgical tracheotomy in an adult. In this report, we discuss the presenting features of this case and we propose several possible etiologies.
July 13, 2011 Peter M. Shepard, MD, Jeffrey M. Phillips, MD, Girma Tefera, MD, and Gregory K. Hartig, MD
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Abstract
Tracheoinnominate fistula is a rare complication of tracheostomy that is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Recently, endovascular stents have been described as a viable treatment option for the management of this condition. We report a case of tracheoinnominate fistula in a 40-year-old man that was successfully managed with endovascular stent placement. Our evaluation included bronchoscopy, arteriography, and computed tomographic angiography. Intraoperative localization of the fistula required selective catheterization of the innominate artery.
December 17, 2010 Jon B. Chadwell, MD, Joshua R. Mitchell, MD, Michael Donnino, MD, Charles Peterson, MD, Paul Guentert, MD, Cliff Arnold, BA, and Mark Walsh, MD
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Abstract
Foreign body aspiration is a serious problem that may lead to complications or even death. People who sustain major maxillofacial trauma can often damage their teeth or oral prostheses, and aspiration can occur. Detection of this type of aspiration can be difficult, especially in elderly people wearing dental appliances, since many dental prostheses are not radiopaque and the aspiration is not always recognized at the time of injury. We report a specific case of extensive maxillofacial trauma from a self-inflicted gunshot wound leading to aspiration of large, radiolucent denture fragments, delayed diagnosis, and complications. The possibility of denture fragment aspiration must always be part of the differential diagnosis in an elderly trauma patient presenting with dyspnea, hypoxia or, eventually, pneumonia. This is especially so when radiologic evaluation does not reveal a foreign body, since much dental prosthesis material is radiolucent. Delayed complications of radiolucent dental prosthesis aspiration could be avoided by the inclusion of some radiopaque material within the acrylic material of the prosthesis.
September 30, 2010 Danny Meslemani, MD, Kathleen Yaremchuk, MD, and Michael Rontal, MD
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Abstract
We conducted a prospective observational study of tracheostomy tubes with three primary goals: (1) to identify the presence and location of bacterial biofilms on adult tubes, (2) to determine how soon after insertion of a tube the presence of a biofilm could be identified, and (3) to identify the bacterial organisms that formed the biofilms on these tubes. Our study materials consisted of 7 adult tracheostomy tubes that had been changed during a routine outpatient clinic visit or hospital consultation. The tubes were examined for the presence of biofilms on the posterior aspect of the outer cannula; also, specimens were obtained from the posterosuperior aspect of the cuff on the 3 tubes that had a cuff. Samples of 2 to 3 mm were taken from each site and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Bacterial biofilms were found on 4 of the 7 tubes; they were present on the outer cannula of 3 cuffless tubes that had been inserted 14 days, 4 months, and 2 years previously and on the cuff of 1 tube that had been inserted 10 days previously. The biofilms were composed of gram-positive cocci in pairs that were likely consistent with Staphylococcus epidermidis.
July 31, 2010 Vinciya Pandian, MSN, CRNP, Ravi S. Vaswani, BS, Marek A. Mirski, MD, PhD, Elliott Haut, MD, Shivam Gupta, MBBS, MPH, and Nasir I. Bhatti, MD
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Abstract
Coagulopathy is one of the relative contraindications to percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT). We conducted a retrospective analysis of the records of 483 patients who had undergone PDT at Johns Hopkins Hospital from January 2000 through December 2007 to investigate the safety of PDT in those who were coagulopathic. The number of patients classified as coagulopathic varied greatly according to the particular diagnostic criteria used; 164 patients (33.95%) met one of the three diagnostic criteria (an abnormality in either prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, or platelet count), and 32 patients (6.63%) met two or three of these criteria. Complications occurred in 16 patients (3.31%), none of whom met two or more diagnostic criteria; bleeding accounted for 5 of these complications (1.04%). No statistically significant difference was seen in complication rates between the coagulopathic patients and the controls (noncoagulopathic patients). We conclude that in the hands of an experienced surgeon, PDT can be safely performed in patients with abnormal coagulation factors provided that the surgical team strictly adheres to a standardized protocol.
