• Riyad Karmy-Jones and Douglas E Wood.
• Heart and Vascular Center, Southwest Washington Medical Center, Suite 300, 200 N.E. Mother Joseph Place, Vancouver, WA 98664, USA.
• Thorac Surg Clin. 2007 Feb 1; 17 (1): 35-46.

AbstractTracheobronchial injuries are relatively uncommon, often require a degree of clinical suspicion to make the diagnosis, and usually require immediate management. The primary initial goals are twofold: stabilize the airway and define the extent and location of injury. These are often facilitated by flexible bronchoscopy, in the hands of a surgeon capable of managing these injuries. Most penetrating injuries occur in the cervical area. Most blunt injuries occur in the distal trachea or right mainstem, and are best approached by a right posterolateral thoracotomy. Choice and timing of approach are dictated by the presence and severity of associated injuries. The mainstay of intraoperative management remains a single-lumen endotracheal tube. Most injuries can be repaired by simple techniques, using interrupted sutures, but some require complex reconstructive techniques. Follow-up to detect stenosis or anastomotic technique is important, as is attention to pulmonary toilet.

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