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Case Reports
. 2023 Mar 31;2023(3):rjac627.
doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjac627. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Spontaneous resolution of traumatic bronchial tear after thoracic crush injury

Erik Schwarze  1 , Donald D Chang  1 , Corbin J Cleary  2 , Ilya Rakitin  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Spontaneous resolution of traumatic bronchial tear after thoracic crush injury

Erik Schwarze et al. J Surg Case Rep. .

Abstract

Traumatic bronchial tears are rare life-threatening injuries. Here, we report a 28-year old male who presented after sustaining a crush injury to his thoracic cavity, resulting in a spiral left mainstem bronchial tear secondary to high intraluminal pressure. While preparing for surgery, a preoperative bronchoscopy found that the bronchial tear had re-approximated and effectively sealed the laceration. No operative intervention was performed and the patient subsequently underwent a full recovery. While most bronchial tears undergo surgical intervention, our report describes the successful management of a bronchial tear injury with a non-operative approach and supportive care.

Keywords: blunt trauma; bronchial tear; tracheobronchial injury; trauma.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative image of axial slice of CT scan (A) and coronal 3D reconstruction (B) demonstrating narrowing of LMS secondary to bronchial injury; A, aorta; PA, pulmonary artery; LMS, left main stem.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bronchoscopy demonstrating left main stem bronchial tear (*) just proximal to the take between the LUL and LLL bronchi division; a hematoma can be seen obstructing the full view of the LLL; LUL, left upper lobe; LLL, left lower lobe.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representative image of axial slice of CT scan (A) and coronal 3D reconstruction (B) on HD 4 showed marked improvement in LMS patency.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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