Foreign body removal with repair of iatrogenic tracheo-bronchial tear repair: An anesthetic challenge

Foreign body aspiration into the airway is common in the pediatric age group and its anesthetic management is a challenge. Iatrogenic tracheo-bronchial injury further worsens the situation. Flexible pediatric fiberscope is the gold standard for securing the airway in cases of airway injury. We present a case of a 7-year-old girl who presented to the hospital with signs and symptoms of foreign body aspiration and suspected tracheo-bronchial tree injury. The impacted foreign body was removed by rigid bronchoscopy and the presence of a tracheo-bronchial tear was confirmed. To repair the airway tear, thoracotomy was planned necessitating one lung ventilation. A pediatric flexible fiberscope was not available, so left endobronchial intubation for one lung ventilation was done with the help of an airway exchange catheter using a rigid bronchoscope as a conduit. Subsequent intra-operative and post-operative period were uneventful.