Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for refractory air leak in a child presenting with bacterial tracheitis.

In developed countries, bacterial tracheitis is an uncommon cause of acute upper airway obstruction in children, but the majority (57–91%) of patients who present with this illness require invasive mechanical ventilation.1-3 Bacterial tracheitis is also associated with numerous complications, including ARDS, air leak syndromes, septic shock, and multiple organ dysfunction.1-3 We describe the first reported case of bacterial tracheitis in a young child complicated by bilateral pneumothoraces and pneumomediastinum that was managed with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).