Anesthetic management of a patient with bronchopleural fistula following blunt trauma chest: A brief report

Blunt trauma to the chest resulting in rupture of a major bronchus is rare. These injuries are often fatal because of respiratory distress; difficulties in establishing an airway, and the high frequency of associated multiple organ injuries. We report the anesthetic and intensive care management of a patient with bronchopleural fistula following blunt chest injury and post-thoracotomy stump leak. This case was unique because of shearing of right main bronchus close to carina, such injuries are not only difficult to repair but also, double lumen tube was kept for more than 48 h to prevent reopening of the suture. Successful management of the case is described with brief review of the literature.