Innominate artery hemorrhage following tracheostomy

The risk of innominate artery hemorrhage may be minimized with simple measures. Management by ligation and resection of the pathological segment of artery has superior outcomes to primary vascular reconstruction with maintenance of blood flow. Bypass procedures are not routinely required and have not been shown to confer any significant benefit. Resection without reconstruction is associated with a surprisingly low incidence of neurological sequelae.