Malignant Hemispheric Infarction After Subtle Tracheal Rupture

Abstract

Tracheal rupture after endotracheal intubation is a rare but life-threatening complication with an incidence of approximately 0.005%. Predisposing factor can be a weakness of the membranous trachea secondary to chronic illness or steroid use. Herein we present a case of a young woman who developed a distal tracheal rupture after emergent endotracheal intubation with devastating consequences. CASE PRESENTATION:A 48-year-old female with a medical history of hypertension, epilepsy, and panhypopituitarism secondary to a respected craniopharyngioma was admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnostic impression of obstructive uropathy with septic shock and multiorgan failure. Supportive management with aggressive fluids resuscitation, antibiotics, dual vasopressor therapy, and endotracheal intubation was given. Hours later, the patient became hemodynamically unstable requiring increased vasopressor therapy with increased demand in ventilation parameters. Physical examination was positive for massive subcutaneous emphysema from her chest tracking through facial and neck planes. A chest computerized tomography (CT) scan was performed and showed a distal tracheal rupture as the most likely cause of the massive pneumothorax that progressed to tension subcutaneous emphysema. Upon acute neurological deterioration, a head CT scan was performed, revealing a left panhemispheric malignant ischemic stroke involving the left anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries suggestive of a left internal carotid artery (ICA) complete occlusion. The patient had a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score above 20, a left hemisphere infarction, and a GCS 3/11, conferring a poor clinical outcome. As poor prognosis and poor quality of life were expected, the family members opted to withdraw life support. DISCUSSION: Malignant hemispheric infarction has a mortality rate as high as 80 percent with catastrophic neurologic sequelae. Its incidence is less than ten percent of all ischemic infarcts and it's generally caused by embolic occlusion of the ICA.CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, there are no malignant hemorrhagic strokes provoked by traumatic intubation resulted from tracheal rupture documented to this day. We presume the etiology of this event to be subcutaneous air that exerted enough pressure between the fascial and cervical planes to result in significant vascular compression. Tracheal rupture is one of the most feared immediate complications of intubation as it could result in increased morbidity and mortality. There is no established consensus for the treatment yet, but early surgical repair has been the mainstay of treatment. However, conservative management has been chosen in cases of small ruptures with similar outcomes.