Tracheal/bronchial rupture

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Lungs

Torn tracheal mucosa

Trauma patients who develop a tracheal or bronchial rupture often have other injuries as well. Patients may have difficulty breathing, may cough up blood, and may develop bubbles of air that can be felt underneath the skin of the chest, neck, arms, and trunk.

• A chest X-ray may show collapse of the lung or evidence of infection.
• A chest CT scan may show similar findings.
• Fiberoptic bronchoscopy can show the exact extent and location of disruption of the trachea or bronchi.

Review Date: 11/13/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.