Conservative treatment of tracheal injuries

AbstractTracheal wall injuries are life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. A lack of empirical data has led to an absence of reliable recommendations, which tracheal injuries need surgical treatment and in which a conservative approach is to be favored. We present 2 cases of severe traumatic tracheal wall injuries in pediatric patients, aged 14 and 7 years. Many authors would have considered surgical repair treatment of choice for either one. However, both patients were successfully treated by bridging the tracheal defects by an endotracheal tube and supportive care. Airway healing was monitored by repeated tracheoscopy. In conclusion, conservative treatment of traumatic tracheal injuries is feasible in pediatric patients