A tracheal or bronchial rupture is a tear or break in the windpipe (trachea) or bronchial tubes, the major airways leading to the lungs. A tear can also occur in the tissue lining the windpipe.
Torn tracheal mucosa; Bronchial rupture
The injury may be caused by:
Injuries to the trachea or bronchi also may occur during medical procedures (for example, bronchoscopy and placement of a breathing tube). However, this is very uncommon.
People with trauma who develop a tracheal or bronchial rupture often have other injuries.
Symptoms may include:
People who have had a trauma will need to have their injuries treated. Injuries to the trachea often need to be repaired during surgery. Injuries to the smaller bronchi can sometimes be treated without surgery. A collapsed lung is treated with a chest tube connected to suction, which re-expands the lung.
For people who have breathed a foreign body into the airways, bronchoscopy may be used to take out the object.
Antibiotics are used in people with an infection in the part of the lung around the injury.
Manuel Struck practices in Leipzig, Germany. Struck is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Tracheal Rupture. He is also highly rated in 2 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Tracheal Rupture, Mediastinitis, Compartment Syndrome, Endoscopy, and Bone Graft.
Sebastian Kramer practices in Leipzig, Germany. Kramer is rated as a Distinguished expert by MediFind in the treatment of Tracheal Rupture. He is also highly rated in 1 other condition, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Tracheal Rupture, Mediastinitis, Mediastinal Tumor, and Pectus Excavatum.
Joana Marques practices in Coimbra, Portugal. Marques is rated as a Distinguished expert by MediFind in the treatment of Tracheal Rupture. She is also highly rated in 3 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Tracheal Rupture, Rigid Spine Syndrome, Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 1A, and Cystoisosporiasis.
The outlook of injury due to trauma depends on the severity of other injuries. Operations to repair these injuries often have good results. The outlook is always better if the person does not have many chronic medical conditions. The outlook is good for people whose tracheal or bronchial disruption is due to causes such as a foreign object, which tend to have a good outcome.
In the months or years after the injury, scarring at the injury site may cause problems, such as narrowing, which require other tests or procedures.
Major complications after surgery for this condition include:
Contact your provider if you have:
Published Date: July 31, 2022
Published By: Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, MHS, Paul F. Harron, Jr. Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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White V, Ruparelia P. Respiratory disease. In: Feather A, Randall D, Waterhouse M, eds. Kumar and Clarke's Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 28.