Endotracheal Repair of an Iatrogenic Tracheal Laceration

The author presents an endotracheal repair, performed for a 72-year-old woman who was mechanically ventilated for a heart failure due to lung edema and hypoxia. She developed severe mediastinal and subcutaneous emphysema due to a 4.5 cm iatrogenic tracheal laceration. A completely endotracheal repair with a running suture was performed using the optical needle holder from Karl Storz Company (Tuttlingen, Germany). The patient needed prolonged ventilation for the underlying disease but could be weaned from ventilation on postoperative day 13. No complications arose.