Avulsión de bronquio fuente derecho debido a traumatismo torácico cerrado / Right main bronchus avulsion due to thoracic blunt trauma

La incidencia de roturas traqueobronquiales secundarias a un traumatismo torácico cerrado es baja, y la mayoría de estos pacientes no llegan con vida a los centros de atención hospitalaria. La presentación clínica es variable dependiendo de la localización de las lesiones, los daños asociados y si las estructuras peribronquiales permanecen íntegras. Para su diagnóstico temprano se debe tener un alto índice de sospecha clínica y una correcta interpretación de los hallazgos semiológicos y radiológicos, lo que permite su rápida y correcta resolución. La demora en el tratamiento aumenta tanto la mortalidad como las complicaciones tempranas y tardías.

The incidence of tracheobronchial ruptures secondary to blunt thoracic trauma is low and most affected patients do not arrive alive to hospitals. Clinical presentation varies with the location of lesions, associated injuries and whether the peribronchial structures remain intact. Early diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion and a correct interpretation of semiologic and radiologic findings, which allows for a rapid and correct resolution. Delay in treatment increases the mortality as well as early and late complications.

Tracheobronchial injuries in chest trauma: a 17-year experience / Lesões traqueobrônquicas no trauma torácico: experiência de 17 anos

ABSTRACT Objective: to discuss the clinical and therapeutic aspects of tracheobronchial lesions in victims of thoracic trauma. Methods: we analyzed the medical records of patients with tracheobronchial lesions treated at the São Paulo Holy Home from April 1991 to June 2008. We established patients' severity through physiological (RTS) and anatomical trauma indices (ISS, PTTI). We used TRISS (Trauma Revised Injury Severity Score) to evaluate the probability of survival. Results: nine patients had tracheobronchial lesions, all males, aged between 17 and 38 years. The mean values ​​of the trauma indices were: RTS - 6.8; ISS - 38; PTTI - 20.0; and TRISS - 0.78. Regarding the clinical picture, six patients displayed only emphysema of the thoracic wall or the mediastinum and three presented with hemodynamic or respiratory instability. The time interval from patient admission to diagnosis ranged from one hour to three days. Cervicotomy was performed in two patients and thoracotomy, in seven (77.7%), being bilateral in one case. Length of hospitalization ranged from nine to 60 days, mean of 21. Complications appeared in four patients (44%) and mortality was nil. Conclusion: tracheobronchial tree trauma is rare, it can evolve with few symptoms, which makes immediate diagnosis difficult, and presents a high rate of complications, although with low mortality.

RESUMO Objetivo: discutir os aspectos clínicos e terapêuticos de lesões traqueobrônquicas em vítimas de trauma torácico. Métodos: análise de dados dos prontuários de pacientes com lesões traqueobrônquicas atendidas na Santa Casa de São Paulo no período de abril de 1991 a junho de 2008. A caracterização da gravidade dos doentes foi feita por meio de índices de trauma fisiológico (RTS) e anatômicos (ISS, PTTI). O TRISS (Trauma Revised Injury Severity Score) foi utilizado para avaliar a probabilidade de sobrevida. Resultados: nove doentes tinham lesões traqueobrônquicas, todos do sexo masculino, com idades entre 17 e 38 anos. Os valores médios dos índices de trauma foram: RTS- 6,8; ISS- 38; PTTI-20,0; TRISS-0,78. Com relação ao quadro clínico, seis apresentaram apenas enfisema de parede torácica ou do mediastino e três doentes se apresentaram com instabilidade hemodinâmica ou respiratória. O intervalo de tempo necessário para se firmar o diagnóstico, desde a admissão do doente, variou de uma hora a três dias. Cervicotomia foi realizada em dois pacientes e toracotomia foi realizada em sete (77,7%), sendo bilateral em um caso. O tempo de internação variou de nove a 60 dias, média de 21 dias. Complicações apareceram em quatro pacientes (44%) e a mortalidade foi nula. Conclusão: o trauma da árvore traqueobrônquica é raro, pode evoluir com poucos sintomas, o que dificulta o diagnóstico imediato, e apresenta alto índice de complicações embora com baixa mortalidade.

Successful anesthetic management in a child after traumatic rupture of left main bronchus by a single-lumen cuffed-endotracheal tube.

Tracheobronchial injury (TBI) may lead to catastrophe if remains undetected or managed improperly. The incidence of TBI is less in children as compared with adults due to their pliable chest wall. Its clinical manifestations include persistent pneumothorax, cervical subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, cyanosis, and respiratory insufficiency. The recommended airway management is to intubate the healthy bronchus with a single‑lumen or double‑lumen endotracheal tube (ET) and bypassing the injured side. We report successful anesthetic management of traumatic rupture of the left main bronchus in a child by using a single‑lumen cuffed‑ET. Many factors affect the outcome of such injuries and include the extent of the lesion, the resulting pulmonary status, the adequacy of surgical reconstruction. More severe injury may require lobectomy or pneumonectomy. Early diagnosis and proper management result in good functional outcome.

Inhalación masiva de amoniaco: reporte de dos casos / Massive ammonia inhalation: report of two cases

Ammonia (NH3) is an irritant and corrosive gas whose inhalation at high concentrations mainly occurs during agricultural and industrial activities, as occupational accidents. The extent and severity of the damage depends on the concentration and time of exposure to the toxic, which can cause skin, eye, respiratory and life-threatening injuries. We present two cases of patients acutely exposed to high concentrations of NH3. Both patients survived to the acute phase of the respiratory injury, but developed chronic lung derangements.

El amoniaco (NH3) es un gas irritante y corrosivo cuya inhalación aguda en altas concentraciones se produce principalmente durante accidentes laborales en el sector agrícola e industrial. La extensión y severidad del daño depende de la concentración y tiempo de exposición al tóxico, el cual puede causar lesiones a nivel cutáneo, ocular, respiratorio y riesgo vital. Presentamos dos casos de pacientes expuestos en forma aguda a NH3 en altas concentraciones. Ambos pacientes sobrevivieron a la fase aguda y evolucionaron con lesiones respiratorias crónicas.

Perioperative management of tracheobronchial injury following blunt trauma.

We describe tracheobronchial injury (TBI) in a 17-year-old teenager following blunt trauma resulting from a road traffic accident. The patient presented to a peripheral hospital with swelling over the neck and face associated with bilateral pneumothorax for which bilateral intercostal drains were inserted and the patient was transferred to our institute. Fiber-optic videobronchoscopy (FOB) was performed, the trachea and bronchi were visualized, and the site and extent of injury was assessed. Spontaneous respiration was maintained till assessment of the airway. Then the patient was anesthetized with propofol and paralyzed using succinylcholine and a double-lumen endobronchial tube was inserted; thereafter, the adequacy of controlled manual ventilation and air-leak through intercostal drains was assessed and the patient was transferred to operating room (OR) for repair of the airway injury. The OR was kept ready during FOB to manage any catastrophe. This case describes the need for proper preparation and communication between health care team members to manage all possible scenarios of traumatic TBI.

Lesão brônquica e pneumotórax após reintubação usando um cateter para troca da via aérea / Bronchial injury and pneumothorax after reintubation using an airway exchange catheter / Lesión brónquica y neumotórax posterior a la reintubación usando un catéter para el cambio de la vía aérea

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Relatamos um caso de pneumotórax causado por perfuração brônquica durante uma reintubação usando um cateter para troca da via aérea (CTVA) em um paciente com câncer de cabeça e pescoço. RELATO DE CASO: Paciente do sexo masculino, 53 anos, com carcinoma de orofaringe, foi internado na UTI com pneumonia grave e síndrome da angústia respiratória aguda (SARA). O paciente foi identificado como sendo de difícil intubação e uma sonda endotraqueal (SET) foi inserida através de um broncoscópio. Após uma semana de tratamento, observou-se ruptura do manguito endotraqueal. A troca da sonda endotraqueal foi necessária para obter uma ventilação pulmonar satisfatória. Um cateter para troca da via aérea (Cook, tamanho 14) foi usado para realizar a reintubação. Depois da reintubação, o paciente apresentou piora na saturação de oxigênio e uma radiografia revelou um grande pneumotórax. Um dreno torácico foi inserido e uma melhora imediata na saturação de oxigênio foi observada. A repetição da radiografia confirmou o posicionamento correto do dreno torácico e a reexpansão do pulmão direito. A broncoscopia realizada mostrou uma laceração posterior do brônquio principal direito. O paciente foi extubado no dia seguinte. Depois de quatro dias, o dreno torácico foi removido. A radiografia realizada um dia depois da retirada do dreno revelou um pequeno pneumotórax no lobo superior direito, mas o paciente permaneceu assintomático. CONCLUSÕES: O cateter para troca da via aérea é uma ferramenta valiosa para lidar com pacientes difíceis de intubar. Embora os médicos geralmente concentrem sua atenção em evitar um barotrauma causado pelo suplemento de oxigênio ou ventilação a jato através do CTVA, a preocupação com a técnica de inserção pode minimizar as complicações que ameaçam a vida e aumentar a segurança do CTVA.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We report a case of pneumothorax caused by a bronchial perforation during a reintubation using an airway exchange catheter (AEC) in a patient with a head and neck cancer. CASE REPORT: A 53 year old man with oropharynx carcinoma was admitted to ICU for severe pneumonia and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The patient was recognized as a difficult-to-intubate patient and an endotracheal tube (ETT) was inserted through a bronchoscope. After one week of treatment, it was observed an endotracheal cuff perforation. Exchanging the endotracheal tube was necessary to achieve satisfactory pulmonary ventilation. An AEC Cook 14 was used to perform the reintubation. After reintubation, the patient presented a worsening in oxygen saturation and a chest radiography (CXR) revealed a large pneumothorax. A chest tube was inserted and we observed immediate improvement in oxygen saturation. A repeat CXR confirmed correct positioning of the chest tube and reexpansion of the right lung. A bronchoscopy performed showed a posterior laceration in the right main bronchus. The patient was extubated the following day. After four days, the chest tube was removed. A CXR performed a day after chest tube removal revealed a small right upper pneumothorax, but the patient remained asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: Airway exchange catheter is a valuable tool to handle with difficult-to-intubate patients. Although the physicians generally focus their attention in avoid barotrauma - caused by oxygen supplement or jet ventilation through AEC - concern for insertion technique can minimize life threatening complications and increase the safety of AEC.

JUSTIFICATIVA Y OBJETIVOS: Relatamos aquí un caso de neumotórax causado por perforación brónquica durante una reintubación usando un catéter para el cambio de la vía aérea (CTVA) en una paciente con cáncer de cabeza y cuello. RELATO DE CASO: Paciente del sexo masculino, 53 años, con carcinoma de orofaringe, que fue ingresado en la UTI con neumonía grave y el síndrome de la angustia respiratoria aguda (SARA). El paciente fue identificado como siendo de difícil intubación y con un broncoscopio se le insertó una sonda endotraqueal (SET). Después de una semana de tratamiento, vimos una ruptura del manguito endotraqueal. El cambio de la sonda endotraqueal se hizo necesario para obtener una ventilación pulmonar satisfactoria. Un catéter para el cambio de la vía aérea (Cook, tamaño 14) se usó para realizar la reintubación. Después de la reintubación, el paciente tuvo un empeoramiento en la saturación de oxígeno y una radiografía reveló un fuerte neumotórax. Un dreno torácico se insertó observando una mejoría inmediata en la saturación de oxígeno. La repetición de la radiografía confirmó el posicionamiento correcto del dreno torácico y la re-expansión del pulmón derecho. La broncoscopia realizada arrojó una laceración posterior del bronquio principal derecho. El paciente se desentubó al día siguiente. Después de cuatro días, el dreno torácico se retiró. La radiografía realizada un día después de la retirada del dreno reveló un pequeño neumotórax en el lóbulo superior derecho, pero el paciente permaneció asintomático. CONCLUSIONES: El catéter para el cambio de la vía aérea es una herramienta valiosa para lidiar con los pacientes difíciles de intubar. Aunque los médicos generalmente concentren su atención en evitar un barotrauma causado por el suplemento de oxígeno o ventilación a chorro por medio del CTVA, la preocupación con la técnica de inserción puede minimizar las complicaciones que amenazan la vida y aumentar la seguridad del CTVA.

Management of laryngotracheal and tracheobronchial injuries

Laryngotracheal and tracheobronchial injuries are uncommon, and their successful diagnosis and management often require a high level of expertise. This paper aimed at retrospective analysis of a thoracic surgeon's experience in the diagnosis and management of traumatic injuries to the larynx, trachea and major bronchi. Forty one patients with major airway trauma were managed from March 1994 to November 2008. Their demographic characteristics including age, gender, mechanisms and locations of injuries, associated other organ injuries as well as surgical airway managements and the outcomes were recorded. Seven patients had re-implantation of the main bronchus, and one patient had a repair of the right upper lobe bronchus with concomitant bilobectomy. In cases of tracheal injury, 16 patients had a primary repair of trachea. However, seven patients with tracheal injury first conservative approaches, but 4 of them were later subjected to sleeve resection of trachea. In patients with laryngotracheal injuries, and in a patient with thermal injury, Montgomery T-Tube was used with or without repair and/or reconstruction. Four patients died, but no significant morbidity was seen in others. The analysis of the cases suggests that laryngotracheal and tracheobronchial injuries require early correct diagnosis, skillful management, and prompt individualized surgical airway repair

Ruptura bronquial: Manejo inicial con la colocación de un stent endobronquial / The bronchial rupture: Initial management with the placement of an endobronchial stent

La ruptura bronquial es una condición rara y grave, secundaria a un traumatismo severo del tórax. Presenta una alta morbimortalidad y la mayoría de las veces requiere resolución quirúrgica. Presentamos un caso que, no habiendo sido diagnosticado inicialmente como tal, padeció complicaciones que dilataron el tratamiento correspondiente. Se realizó la colocación de stent endobronquial y sucesivas fibrobroncoscopías de control y aspiración, además de kinesia respiratoria y drenaje postural, evolucionando favorablemente.

The bronchial rupture is a rare and serious condition, secondary to a severe thoracic trauma. It often requires surgical treatment and the case fatality is high. In the case presented here the treatment was delayed because of late diagnosis and complications. The therapeutic measures included endobronchial stenting, successive control and aspiration fiberbronchoscopies, kinetic respiratory assistance and postural drainage. The evolution was favorable.

Accidentes por cuerpos extraños en las vías respiratorias bajas en el niño / Accidents caused by presence of foreign bodies in low airways in children

Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron caracterizar los aspectos clínicos y la estructura familiar en los casos de accidentes por cuerpos extraños en las vías respiratorias bajas, en la infancia. MÉTODOS. Se realizó una investigación descriptiva, retrospectiva y transversal sobre accidentes por aspiración de cuerpos extraños, que se basó en la obtención de datos de las historias clínicas y entrevistas a los padres o tutores de pacientes que ingresaron en el Hospital Pediàtrico William Soler, entre enero de 2003 y diciembre de 2007. Se entrevistaron 42 personas, y a los responsables del cuidado de los niños se les pidió completar un modelo de entrevista personal, sobre la accidentalidad en el hogar, el funcionamiento y la estructura familiar. Los resultados se expresaron en frecuencias absolutas y relativas, respectivamente. Se analizó el tipo de cuerpo extraño, la localización, el sexo del paciente, la edad, la caracterización de la familia, el tratamiento utilizado y el resultado final. RESULTADOS. Los grupos etarios más afectados fueron los integrados por niños menores de 5 años (66,7 por ciento). Hubo un predominio del sexo masculino (76,2 por ciento). El 66,7 por ciento de los accidentes ocurrieron en el hogar y el 83,3 por ciento de los niños estaban acompañados en el momento del accidente. Los objetos de mayor incidencia fueron los no orgánicos (52,4 por ciento), y la localización anatómica más frecuentemente afectada fue el bronquio derecho (66,6 por ciento). Las principales complicaciones fueron atelectasia (21,4 por ciento) y neumonía (16,7 por ciento). Hubo un fallecido (2,3 por ciento). Se observó que un 38 por ciento de las familias se encontraban en la etapa de extensión y a su vez el 64 por ciento de ellas presentaban algún tipo de crisis paranormativa. CONCLUSIONES. Los posibles factores de riesgo encontrados en nuestros pacientes fueron edad, sexo, descuido por parte de los padres, nivel sociocultural bajo y familias extensas.

Aims of present paper were to characterize the clinical features and the family structure in cases of accidents caused by presence foreign body in low airways during childhood. METHODS: A descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional research on accident from foreign body aspiration based on medical records data and interviews with parents and tutors of patients admitted in William Soler"ç Children Hospital from January, 2003 to December, 2007. A total of 42 persons was interviewed and to carers were asked to fill in a personal interview form on home-accidents, performance, and family structure. Results were expressed in absolute and relative frequencies, respectively. We analyzed the type of the foreign body, its location, patient's sex and age, family characterization, treatment used, and final result. RESULTS: Age groups more involved were the children aged under 5 years (66,7 percent). There was predominance of male sex (76,2 percent). The 66,7 percent of accidents occurred at home and in 83,3 percent the children were accompanied at moment of the accident. The great incidence of objects was the non-organic ones (52,5 percent), and the more frequent involved anatomical location was the right bronchus (66,6 percent). Major complications were atelectasia (21,4 percent) and pneumonia (16,7 percent). There was a deceased (2,3 percent). We note that a 38 percent of families were in increasing stage, and at the same time the 64 percent of them had some type of paranormal crisis. CONCLUSIONS: The potential risk factor observed in our patients were the age, sex, carelessness by parents, a low sociocultural level and family overcrowding.

Right main bronchial disruption due to blunt trauma

A young soldier was crushed between two vehicles sustaining severe injury to right side of chest leading to multiple rib fractures, tension pneumothorax, bronchopleural fistula, and later on gross surgical emphysema. Rigid bronchoscopy confirmed injury to right upper bronchus. Surgical repair and postoperative care of such a major, although rare, injury was successfully achieved in this small hospital by a team augmented by a specialist from thoracic surgery centre. The risks of transport of a major thoracic injury should be assessed against a possible definitive treatment locally. Fibreoptic or rigid bronchoscopy should be employed as early as possible in all suspected cases of major airways injury. An outreach service by a thoracic surgery centre can be life-saving

Delayed Bronchostenosis After Blunt Chest Trauma in Children: CT and Pathologic Findings

Tracheobronchial disruption is an uncommon injury associated with blunt chest trauma. We report CT features and pathologic findings of two pediatric cases in which a bronchial injury was unnoticed initially but was diagnosed later by appearance of delayed bronchostenosis with distal atelectasis after blunt chest trauma in recent motor vehicle accidents. Pathologically, obliteration of the bronchial lumen was caused by dense fibrous overgrowth and granulation tissue.

Ruptura traumática de via aérea em criança: um desafio diagnóstico / Traumatic airway disruption in a child: a diagnostic challenge

OBJETIVO: Relatar um caso de ruptura da via aérea em criança vítima de trauma torácico decorrente de queda do tanque de lavar roupas. DESCRIÇAO: Relato de caso descritivo. O paciente pré-escolar de 34 meses, do sexo masculino foi atendido na unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica de Hospital Universitário. Foram realizados os seguintes procedimentos: radiografia simples e tomografia de tórax, endoscopia respiratória, toracotomia, antibioticoterapia, ventilação mecânica. A radiografia simples de tórax, tomografia computadorizada de tórax e endoscopia respiratória foram necessárias para definir o diagnóstico de ruptura traumática da via aérea associada a contusão pulmonar, pneumotórax, pneumomediastino e enfisema subcutâneo. O paciente foi submetido a toracotomia para reparação de lesão quase completa de brônquio principal esquerdo. Antibioticoterapia de largo espectro e suporte ventilatório contribuíram para resolução do caso sem seqüelas a médio prazo. COMENTARIOS: Na vigência de trauma torácico em criança, a busca diagnóstica por lesões incomuns, mas potencialmente letais, como a ruptura da via aérea, deve ser incessante, particularmente naqueles pacientes com fortes evidências clínicas. A complementação diagnóstica deve ser otimizada com a radiografia simples de tórax, a tomografia de tórax e o exame endoscópico que estabelece o diagnóstico definitivo.

Management of tracheobrochial injuries: a 10-year experience at Ratchaburi hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Tracheobronchial injuries are rare but life threatening. Their successful diagnosis and treatment require a high level of suspicion and early surgical repair The authors review their experience in managing these injuries over the past 10 years. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Patients who were admitted to the Thoracic Surgical Unit, Ratchaburi Hospital and treated for tracheobronchial injuries from 1993 to 2004 were included in the present study. Hospital records were reviewed on mechanism of injury, clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and outcome. RESULTS: The present series comprised of 11 tracheobronchial injury patients. Causal mechanism of injury was 4 blunt and 7 penetrating injuries. 4 of them with blunt injury, there were 3 right main bronchial disruptions, 1 minor cervical laceration. Presenting signs included dyspnea in 4 and subcutaneous emphysema in 3. 1 of them had massive air leak. Radiographic finding were pneumomediastinum in 3. Pneumothorax in 2, Atelectasis of right lung in 1. All of the right bronchial disruptions had primary repair with reanastomosis in 2 and resection of stenotic bronchus with reanastomosis in 1; this patient developed empyema thoracis with Acinetobacter iwoffii as a result of delayed diagnosis (40 day). One patient with minor cervical laceration underwent conservative treatment. All patients with blunt injuries were discharged with a normal patency of airway. 7 patients with penerating injuries, there were 4 cervical, 1 cervical associated with esophageal injury, 1 combined cervical-thoracic type of injuries and 1 Thoracic injury. Presenting signs included dyspnea in 7 and subcutaneous emphysema in 6. The radiographic finding were pneumomediastinum in 5 pneumothorax in 4, one patient underwent tracheal reanastomosis. The rest of six patients underwent immediate primary repairs. One patient with cervical knife stap wound died 4 hours postoperatively of hemoptysis, progressive hypoxia and aneuria, 6 of them were recovered with a normal patency of airway CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that, result of treatment for tracheobronchial injury should depend upon the mechanism of injury, early recognition, early diagnosis and appropriate surgical intervention. Delay in diagnosis is the single most important factor-influencing outcome. Common complications in the early phase were hypoxia, organ failure while in the late phase were sepsis, tracheal or bronchial stenosis, mediastinitis and chronic bronchopleural fistula, etc.

Bronchial transection: delayed diagnosis and successful repair.

Traumatic bronchial transection is usually recognized and repaired immediately after injury. Bronchial transection has a variety of clinical presentations due to air leak into the pleural cavity and it is very rare to have total absence of air leak from the transected bronchus at presentation. We present one such case of main right bronchus injury with total absence of initial clinical signs and symptoms, leading to a delay in the diagnosis. However, the surgical repair eight months after injury showed excellent recovery of the chronically collapsed lung.

Delayed presentation and surgical management of a bronchial tear.

Tracheobronchial injuries following blunt trauma to the chest can be life-threatening. However, failure to diagnose can lead to various acute or chronic complications. A delayed presentation is quite rare and its surgical correction is highly challenging. We present here two cases, which came to us after four and six months of trauma respectively. In these patients, successful surgical repair of totally obstructed right main bronchus in the first case and left main bronchus in the other was carried out. The post-operative course was uneventful with improvement in the respiratory status of both the patients. High degree of suspicion and awareness of the possibility of bronchial tear are required for proper management of such cases.

Dislodge of T-tube into the bronchus, an unusual complication of the Montgomery T-tube: a case report.

Laryngotracheal stenosis is a sequel of laryngeal trauma. Many surgical techniques have been developed to correct this problem. Sometimes it requires a tracheal T-tube after the surgical correction. Here the authors report an unusual complication of tracheal T-tube and suggest a method for the management of this complication.

Aspiración de la lamparilla del laringoscopio ante la intubación orotraqueal: una complicación poco frecuente / Aspiration of the laringoscope's lamp is orotracheal intubation: an infrecuent complication

Introducción: El empleo del laringoscopio con propósitos anestésicos para asegurar una vía aérea permeable y las modificaciones implementadas desde su creación sirvieron para reducir incertidumbre, imprecisión, inconveniencia y traumatismos cuando se desea visualizar la laringe e intubar la tráquea. El defecto de una de las piezas constituyentes del laringoscopio -como en el caso presentado, por desprendimiento de la lamparilla de la hoja- y su aspiración a la vía aérea puede resultar una complicación grave y de difícil resolución para mantener una oxigenación adecuada. Material y método: Se presenta el caso clínico, no registrado en la bibliografía consultada, de una complicación durante la maniobra de la laringoscopía para una intubación orotraqueal, producto del desprendimiento de la lamparilla de la hoja del laringoscopio tipo Maclntosh, con aspiración a la vía aérea e impactación en el bronquio segmentario anterior del lóbulo inferior derecho. Discusión: Se describe la presentación de la aspiración de un cuerpo extraño en la vía aérea, las consecuencias de acuerdo con el tamaño y lugar de impactación y la resolución mediante la fibrobroncoscopía. Conclusión: Este caso demuestra la importancia de controlar el buen funcionamiento de las piezas del laringoscopio. La broncoscopía es el método de elección para solucionar la aspiración de un cuerpo extraño en la vía aérea, debiendo el anestesiólogo estar familiarizado con su técnica para facilitar las maniobras.

Evoluçäo espontânea favorável de lesäo tráqueo-brônquica traumática / Spontaneous favorable evolution of traumatic tracheo-bronchial injury

Um caso de trauma cérvico-torácico fechado após queda da própria altura é relatado, evoluindo com enfisema subcutâneo local volumoso e achado radiológico de pneumomediastino, sem outras intercorrências. Observaçao rigorosa em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva e broncoscopias sucessivas nao evidenciaram anormalidades, com rápida regressao do enfisema apenas com terapia de suporte. Os autores destacam a raridade do caso (na ausência de lesao macroscopicamente visível e na evoluçao espontânea descomplicada, a despeito da extensao da injúria) e expoem as múltiplas manifestaçoes clínico-cirúrgicas das laceraçoes tráqueo-brônquicas.

Unusual presentations of injury to the bronchus with literature review.

Two patients with unusual presentation of injury to the bronchi are discussed. The first had a gun shot wound of the anterior left chest with the bullet ricocheting across to the right hemithorax and puncturing the right mainstem bronchus resulting in right massive pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema. The second suffered a blunt thoracic trauma from a road traffic accident and presented with bilateral rib fractures and bilateral pneumothoraces treated with bilateral closed thoracostomy tube drainage. Bronchofiberscopy revealed complete transection of the left mainstem bronchus.