A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case Report

The tracheal bronchus, an unusual tracheobronchial anatomy with an incidence rate between 0.1% and 2%, is almost synonymous with the right upper lobe bronchus, which emerges from the right side of the tracheal wall above the carina. Although it is mostly asymptomatic, some cases may suffer from recu...

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Main Authors: Ahmed Abdalwahab, Mohamed S. Arafa, Yahya Mohamed Hammad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-01-01
Series:Bali Journal of Anesthesiology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.4103/bjoa.bjoa_273_24
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author Ahmed Abdalwahab
Mohamed S. Arafa
Yahya Mohamed Hammad
author_facet Ahmed Abdalwahab
Mohamed S. Arafa
Yahya Mohamed Hammad
author_sort Ahmed Abdalwahab
collection DOAJ
description The tracheal bronchus, an unusual tracheobronchial anatomy with an incidence rate between 0.1% and 2%, is almost synonymous with the right upper lobe bronchus, which emerges from the right side of the tracheal wall above the carina. Although it is mostly asymptomatic, some cases may suffer from recurrent chest infection, chronic bronchitis, or even complicated with bronchiectasis. The standard anterolateral chest X-ray is often unable to detect the tracheal bronchus which is usually missed. A tracheal bronchus can significantly affect airway management, especially during lung isolation. Other coexisting respiratory or cardiac congenital anomalies may complicate the situation. We reported a case of a 19-year-old girl scheduled for minimally invasive tricuspid valve replacement who was accidentally discovered to have an ectopic bronchus during establishing lung isolation. Our approach involved the use of a Fogarty embolectomy catheter in conjunction with an endobronchial blocker, following an unsuccessful attempt to separate the right lung using a left-sided double-lumen endotracheal tube. We succeeded in isolating the right lung, and the surgical team successfully replaced the tricuspid valve without hypoxia or any other complication. This case highlights the importance of bronchoscopy examination before lung isolation and reminds anesthesiologists to be flexible in their airway management plans.
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spelling doaj-art-e0a91c878f7e46cd8ddbd9491f6b75f32025-08-20T03:09:46ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsBali Journal of Anesthesiology2549-22762025-01-0191525410.4103/bjoa.bjoa_273_24A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case ReportAhmed AbdalwahabMohamed S. ArafaYahya Mohamed HammadThe tracheal bronchus, an unusual tracheobronchial anatomy with an incidence rate between 0.1% and 2%, is almost synonymous with the right upper lobe bronchus, which emerges from the right side of the tracheal wall above the carina. Although it is mostly asymptomatic, some cases may suffer from recurrent chest infection, chronic bronchitis, or even complicated with bronchiectasis. The standard anterolateral chest X-ray is often unable to detect the tracheal bronchus which is usually missed. A tracheal bronchus can significantly affect airway management, especially during lung isolation. Other coexisting respiratory or cardiac congenital anomalies may complicate the situation. We reported a case of a 19-year-old girl scheduled for minimally invasive tricuspid valve replacement who was accidentally discovered to have an ectopic bronchus during establishing lung isolation. Our approach involved the use of a Fogarty embolectomy catheter in conjunction with an endobronchial blocker, following an unsuccessful attempt to separate the right lung using a left-sided double-lumen endotracheal tube. We succeeded in isolating the right lung, and the surgical team successfully replaced the tricuspid valve without hypoxia or any other complication. This case highlights the importance of bronchoscopy examination before lung isolation and reminds anesthesiologists to be flexible in their airway management plans.https://doi.org/10.4103/bjoa.bjoa_273_24adultairway managementlung isolationtracheal bronchus
spellingShingle Ahmed Abdalwahab
Mohamed S. Arafa
Yahya Mohamed Hammad
A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case Report
Bali Journal of Anesthesiology
adult
airway management
lung isolation
tracheal bronchus
title A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case Report
title_full A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case Report
title_fullStr A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case Report
title_full_unstemmed A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case Report
title_short A Missed Case of Tracheal Bronchus Leading to Difficult Lung Isolation in a Cardiac Patient: A Case Report
title_sort missed case of tracheal bronchus leading to difficult lung isolation in a cardiac patient a case report
topic adult
airway management
lung isolation
tracheal bronchus
url https://doi.org/10.4103/bjoa.bjoa_273_24
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