Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Tracheal/bronchial rupture

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Torn tracheal mucosa; Bronchial rupture


Symptoms

Trauma patients who develop a tracheal or bronchial rupture often have other injuries. Patients may:

  • Cough up blood
  • Develop bubbles of air that can be felt underneath the skin of the chest, neck, arms, and trunk
  • Have difficulty breathing

Signs and tests
  • Chest CT scan
  • Chest x-ray
  • Fiberoptic bronchoscopy

Images

Lungs

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)