Surgical Repair of a Traumatic Tracheobronchial Injury in a Pediatric Patient Assisted with Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Tracheobronchial rupture due to blunt chest trauma is a rare but life-threatening injury in the pediatric population. Computed tomography (CT) is not always reliable in the management of these patients. An additional concern is that ventilation may be disrupted during surgical repair of these injuries. This report presents the case of a 4 -year-old boy with an injury to the lower trachea and carina due to blunt force trauma that was missed on the initial CT scan. During surgery, he was administered venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Although ECMO is not generally used in children, this case demonstrated that the short-term use of ECMO during pediatric surgery is safe and can prevent intraoperative desaturation.