Acute Respiratory Distress Revealing an Unrecognized Tracheostomy Cannula at the Bronchial Level in the Pandemic COVID Era
Authors: Chehbouni Mohamed , Benhoummad Othmane 
Published: July 2021

The tracheostomy is a surgical opening of the trachea which is made at the level of its anterior face, 2 cm above the sternal fork permitting the placement of a tracheostomy cannula in a temporary or definitive way and this according to the indication of its realization. The tracheostomy is the surgical connection of the trachea to the skin. The prolonged wearing of a tracheostomy cannula at the level of the tracheostomy orifice can expose to certain complications which can prove to be serious. It presents risks of postoperative complications, especially late ones. The most frequent are granulomas, tracheal stenosis, infections, and fistulas. Tracheal or tracheobronchial migration of the tracheostomy cannula remains exceptional. We present a very rare case of an elderly subject followed for Parkinson's disease with a dementia syndrome, who underwent a total laryngectomy 3 years ago with prolonged placement of a tracheostomy cannula at the tracheostomy orifice. The patient presented to the emergency room with progressively worsening respiratory distress and desaturation, evolving in a febrile context, suggesting a sars cov19 infection in the current epidemiological context. A thoracic CT scan rectified the diagnosis by showing a pneumopathy on an unrecognized tracheotomy cannula at the tracheobronchial level. Indeed, this complication is secondary to the embrittlement of the cannula following poor maintenance. The use of a tracheostomy cannula for a long period of time requires a regular and particular surveillance, a rigorous maintenance and care of the cannula to avoid the occurrence of complications which can be seriousThe tracheostomy is a surgical opening of the trachea which is made at the level of its anterior face, 2 cm above the sternal fork permitting the placement of a tracheostomy cannula in a temporary or definitive way and this according to the indication of its realization. The tracheostomy is the surgical connection of the trachea to the skin. The prolonged wearing of a tracheostomy cannula at the level of the tracheostomy orifice can expose to certain complications which can prove to be serious. It presents risks of postoperative complications, especially late ones. The most frequent are granulomas, tracheal stenosis, infections, and fistulas. Tracheal or tracheobronchial migration of the tracheostomy cannula remains exceptional. We present a very rare case of an elderly subject followed for Parkinson's disease with a dementia syndrome, who underwent a total laryngectomy 3 years ago with prolonged placement of a tracheostomy cannula at the tracheostomy orifice. The patient presented to the emergency room with progressively worsening respiratory distress and desaturation, evolving in a febrile context, suggesting a sars cov19 infection in the current epidemiological context. A thoracic CT scan rectified the diagnosis by showing a pneumopathy on an unrecognized tracheotomy cannula at the tracheobronchial level. Indeed, this complication is secondary to the embrittlement of the cannula following poor maintenance. The use of a tracheostomy cannula for a long period of time requires a regular and particular surveillance, a rigorous maintenance and care of the cannula to avoid the occurrence of complications which can be serious.