Posttraumatic disruption of the right main bronchus - a case report

Abstract

Introduction. Tracheobronchial disruption is a rare disorder, usually accompanied by a severe blunt chest trauma that quite rarely appears as an isolated event. Case Report. This is a case report of a right main bronchus disruption, due to an injury to the right hemithorax, caused by a falling tree trunk. The disruption was accompanied by mediastinal emphysema, fractures of the 4th and 5th ribs on the right side and compound sternal fracture. The patient was operated in general anesthesia, through right thoracotomy approach, followed by successful right main bronchus reconstruction by interrupted suture technique, without anatomic resection of the lung parenchyma. Conclusion. Although this injury is rare, with suspicion of bronchial rupture, bronchoscopy confirms the diagnosis and leads to better prognosis.