No abstract

Successful surgical management of atrialesophageal fistula (AEF) with 2-staged repair. CENTRAL MESSAGECatheter-ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation are increasing. Life-threatening complications, such as fistula development, require early recognition, diagnosis, and surgical intervention.

Aorto-tracheal fistulas are rare and highly lethal, with few reports of successful surgical intervention. We present a 48 year old man with aorto-tracheal fistula induced by radiation therapy for tracheal squamous cell carcinoma. He presented with hemoptysis and chest pain and workup revealed the aorta-tracheal fistula between the posterior aortic arch and anterior distal trachea. He was emergently taken to surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an aorto-tracheal fistula successfully treated with a transverse aortic arch replacement and complex tracheal repair using autologous pericardium with an omental buttress.

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