Cross-Field Ventilation for Treatment of Harlequin Syndrome in Traumatic Tracheobronchial Injury Repair Using Intraoperative Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

BLUNT TRAUMA to the thorax can lead to a variety of devastating injuries and accounts for a mortality rate of about 15%.1 Tracheobronchial injuries are often missed on initial evaluation because many patients have nonspecific symptoms, and delay in diagnosis can increase mortality.2 Maintaining adequate oxygenation and ventilation while allowing adequate surgical exposure is a priority and requires a coordinated effort by the perioperative team. The authors describe the case of a patient with traumatic left mainstem bronchus avulsion and tracheal tear who was managed intraoperatively with a combination of venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and cross-field ventilation.

Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - May 6, 2019 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Jaeyoon Chung, Mark Berguson, Andrew Mendelson, Rebecca Barnett, Eric Schwenk, Nathaniel R. Evans, Scott W. Cowan, Jordan E. Goldhammer Tags: Case Report Source Type: research