Tracheal Reconstruction Surgery Supported by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Patients with Traumatic Post-Tracheotomy Tracheal Stenosis

Purposes: Patients who require surgeries for traumatic post-tracheotomy tracheal stenosis (PTTS) often cannot be supported using conventional airway management approaches. This study documents the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients with PTTS. Methods: Patient characteristics, procedure, and outcome of patients who required tracheal reconstruction surgery for PTTS supported by ECMO were retrieved and analyzed. Results: Four patients (mean age 28 years; range 17–48 years) with traumatic PTTS underwent tracheal reconstruction surgery supported by ECMO. The mean time from removal of tracheotomy tube to admission was 3.2 months (range: 1–9 months). The mean diameter of the stenotic segment was 5 mm (range: 4–6 mm). One patient underwent tracheoplasty and semi-tracheostomy with venoarterial ECMO urgently. Three patients underwent tracheal resection and end-to-end anastomosis (TRE) with venovenous ECMO empirically. Intervention success was achieved in 100% (4/4) of patients. The mean duration of ECMO was 35.3 hours (range: 16–53 hours). The overall survival rate was 100% (4/4) within a mean follow-up of 26 months (range: 7–57 months). Conclusions: ECMO is a safe and feasible method to support oxygenation for patients with critical traumatic PTTS during tracheal reconstruction surgery.