Successful removal of an aspirated broken metal tracheostomy tube from the right main bronchus: a case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Tracheostomy has been done since ancient Greece, but in today’s modern format, it has been accepted for over one and a half centuries. Improvements in medical care and treatments have survived disabled patients who died in the past decades. Among these, tracheostomy tube (TT) segment aspiration was as rare as less than 100 cases have already been documented. We reported a case of aspirated metal TT to the right main bronchus from a 12-year-old teenage girl and then reviewed the available literature. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient suffered from subglottic stenosis affected after adenotonsillectomy remained for 6 years. She was referred to the emergency department for acute respiratory distress and cyanosis. Immediately underwent rigid bronchoscopy, and on the way to the operating room, she was oxygenated from the tracheal orifice. The detached part was successfully removed. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: The common tracheostomy indications in children involve congenital or acquired airway stenosis, some conditions needing long-term ventilation, bilateral vocal fold insufficiency, and infectious compromise of the upper airway. Metal TTs for long-lasting are preferred to synthetic ones. Nevertheless, it has some potential complications. CONCLUSION: Careful inspecting, especially metallic TTs, after every disinfection and regular follow-up by the surgeon, is highly recommended to prevent potential casualties.