Silicone tracheobronchial stent: A rare cause for bronchoesophageal fistula and distortion of airway anatomy

• Main Authors: Bhupesh Kumar, Ganesh Kumar Munirathinam, Goverdhan Dutt Puri, Anand Kumar Mishra, Virendra Kumar Arya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2017-01-01
• Series: Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia
• Subjects: Airway distortion; silicone stent; tracheobronchial fistula
• Online Access: http://www.annals.in/article.asp?issn=0971-9784;year=2017;volume=20;issue=3;spage=355;epage=358;aulast=Kumar

Silicone tracheobronchial stents are being increasingly used in a large number of patients for the treatment of tracheal stenosis. One very rare complication due to tracheobronchial stenting is bronchoesophageal fistula (BEF), which has been associated with the use of metallic stents. We report intraoperative management of a patient undergoing repair of a BEF, following previous insertion of a silicone Y-stent that is soft in texture and has not been implicated for this complication till date. In addition, misalignment of this silicone tracheobronchial Y-stent resulted in a tracheal mucosal bulge proximal to the stent that vanished after its removal.