Anesthetic Management of a Broken Tracheostomy Tube Stem as a Foreign Body in the Trachea: A Case Report

TL;DR

This case report describes the management of a broken tracheostomy tube in a child's airway using general anesthesia and a supraglottic device in a low-resource setting.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel approach to managing a rare tracheostomy complication in resource-limited environments.

Findings

A pediatric patient had a broken tracheostomy tube stem acting as a foreign body in the trachea.

The patient was successfully treated with neck exploration under general anesthesia using a supraglottic airway device.

The report highlights potential challenges and solutions in managing such airway complications.

Abstract

Tracheostomy is commonly performed in patients to secure the airway. There are known early and late complications related to tracheostomy. Few case reports have described the rupture of the stem of the tracheostomy tube and its migration into the tracheobronchial tree. Here we describe a pediatric case with a broken stem of the tracheostomy tube in the trachea, acting as a foreign body and causing mild respiratory distress. The patient was successfully managed with neck exploration under general anesthesia using a supraglottic airway device in low-resource settings. In addition, we have described the potential problems that may be faced while managing the airway of such patients and how to deal with these complications.

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