Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to traumatic bronchial fistula closure

Abstract

Traumatic tracheobronchial injuries occur in 1% of patients with thoracic trauma, most of them dying at the site of the trauma. In this case report, we present a 26-year-old female patient admitted to the ICU due to a blunt chest trauma causing life threatening hypoxaemia and acidosis; deciding to implant percutaneous venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The use of percutaneous venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, implemented with a lower anticoagulation target, allowed the diagnosis and treatment of a bronchopleural fistula under conditions of respiratory and hemodynamic stability without haemorrhagic complications, obtaining a fast and adequate assistance achieving the survival of the patient.

Keywords: Bronchial fistula; Fístula bronquial; Insuficiencia respiratoria; Lesión pulmonar; Lung injury; Membrana de oxigenación extracorpórea; Multiple trauma; Respiratory insufficiency Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Traumatismo múltiple.