Endovascular Treatment of Tracheoinnominate Artery Fistula: Case Report and Literature Review With Pooled Cohort Analysis

A Systematic Review of Mortality Associations in Patients who Develop Tracheoinnominate Artery Fistula Following Tracheostomy

OBJECTIVE

Tracheoinnominate artery fistulas (TIFs) are a rare but deadly complication of tracheostomy. Tracheoinnominate artery fistula cases in the literature were summarized in order to understand mortality associations.

METHODS

MEDLINE was searched for studies reporting individual characteristics of patients with TIFs after tracheostomy, excluding cases without tracheostomy or with additional procedures at the tracheostomy site. This study followed PRISMA guidelines.

RESULTS

121 TIF patients from 18 case series and 46 case reports were included. The median age was 40 years, and 52.9% were male. The overall mortality rate was 64.5%. There were differences in mortality between cases that presented initially with vs without sentinel bleeding (odds ratio [OR] .34; CI [confidence interval] .16-.73; P = .006). The mortality rate also differed in whether or not the tracheostomy cuff was over-inflated for temporary hemostasis during resuscitation (OR 3.57 (CI 1.57-8.09); P = .002). Treatment compared to no treatment had lower mortality rates (OR .11 (CI 0.04-.32); P < .001); no differences were found if treatment was endovascular vs open surgical.

CONCLUSIONS

Mortality is a major concern after detection of a TIF and resuscitation paired with endovascular or open surgical intervention is imperative. Rapidly investigating sentinel bleeds and intervening upon hemorrhage with temporary cuff over inflation may lead to improved outcomes.

A Case of Tracheo-innominate Artery Fistula after Tracheostomy Successfully Treated with a Covered Stent

A 78-year-old man underwent a tracheostomy after embolization for a dural arteriovenous fistula. Seventy days after tracheostomy, arterial bleeding appeared through the tracheal stoma. The bleeding stopped spontaneously. However, two days later, arterial bleeding reappeared, and he was diagnosed with a tracheo-innominate artery fistula (TIF). He then underwent urgent endovascular covered stent placement. After the procedure, there was no bleeding. TIF can be a fatal complication after tracheostomy and it is generally treated with open chest surgery. However, a successful endovascular treatment for TIF has recently been reported and may yield better results.

Too big to fail?-An aggressive strategy for a dire problem

Tracheo-innominate fistula (TIF) is a reported complication of tracheostomy that typically presents with a herald bleed. The phenomenon of an aortotracheal fistula has similar pathology and presentation to TIF, but no standard surgical repair. In the manuscript by Musgrove et al. in the Journal of Cardiac Surgery, the authors propose a surgical treatment that is reproducible for the correct anatomic configuration-an ascending and aortic arch replacement, pericardial patch of the tracheal defect, and omental flap coverage. While this intervention is a large undertaking for a small defect, it is a safe and durable repair.

Successful management of a tracheomalacia patient with active endotracheal bleeding due to intraoperative innominate artery injury: A case report

RATIONALE

Intraoperative innominate artery injury is life-threatening in tracheomalacia patients with prolonged tracheostomy. Anesthetic management is challenging in cases with massive hemorrhage into the endotracheal tube. We report a case in which we successfully managed a tracheomalacia patient with acute endotracheal bleeding due to innominate artery injury.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 24-year-old patient with tracheomalacia was scheduled to undergo exploratory thoracotomy for the treatment of intermittent bleeding at the tracheostomy site. During exploration, sudden active bleeding due to innominate artery injury was observed in the endotracheal lumen.

DIAGNOSES

The patient was diagnosed with tracheomalacia.

INTERVENTIONS

We immediately used the bronchoscope to place the tip of the endotracheal tube at the bleeding site and hyperinflated the cuff.

OUTCOMES

The ballooned cuff compressed the active bleeding site, so no additional bleeding was detected by bronchoscopy, and no additional massive bleeding was observed in the operative field.

LESSONS

Immediate and appropriate overinflation of the endotracheal tube cuff by an anesthesiologist may provide improved surgical field visibility and time for critical surgical procedures in cases of massive hemorrhaging.

Successful Surgical Management of a Tracheo-Innominate Artery Fistula in a Patient with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Case Report

Tracheo-innominate artery fistula (TIF) is a rare, life-threatening complication of tracheostomy that makes it difficult to secure the airway due to massive bleeding, constituting a medical emergency. Therefore, most successful surgical treatments include innominate artery debridement and tracheal fistula repair. Herein, we report a case of successful surgical treatment of a TIF while maintaining cerebral blood flow through an artificial vascular graft.

Aortotracheal fistula after slide tracheoplasty in a patient with dextrocardia, left pulmonary artery sling and tracheal stenosis: a case report

Background

Aortotracheal fistula (ATF) is an uncommon and fatal complication of tracheal or aortic surgery, especially among pediatric patients.

Case presentation

We reported a case in a 1-year-old boy with dextrocardia, left pulmonary artery sling and long segment tracheal stenosis. He received slide tracheoplasty at 9 months of age and had post-operative refractory granulation at distal trachea status post repeated balloon dilatation and laser vaporization. Episodes of hemoptysis occurred on post-operative day 81. Bronchoscopy revealed a pulsating pseudoaneurysm at lower trachea which ruptured during the procedure

Urgent surgical repair under cardiopulmonary bypass with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest was done. No recurrent bleeding or significant neurologic deficits noticed at a 4-month follow-up.

Conclusion

Congenital anomaly that changes the spatial relationship between trachea and aorta could have contributed to formation of ATF. This warrant future attention when managing tracheal granulation with this not uncommon anatomy.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13019-021-01438-6.

Tracheoinnominate fistula: acute bleeding and hypovolemic shock due to a trachea-innominate artery fistula after long-term tracheostomy, treated with a stent-graft

Background

A tracheo-innominate fistula is a rare but life-threatening complication of tracheostomy and has a mortality rate of 100% without therapy. The underlying cause is an acquired fistula between the brachiocephalic trunk and the trachea, induced by a tracheostomy cannula’s mechanical impact.

Case presentation

A 25-year-old female was admitted with pulsatile bleeding from a tracheostomy. The cause of the bleeding was a tracheo-innominate artery fistula, which was difficult to recognize. Said fistula was treated with implantation of a self-expanding stent-graft. The bleeding stopped immediately after the implantation of the stent-graft. Dual antiplatelet medication with aspirin IV and ticagrelor PO, bridged with a bolus of eptifibatide IV, was started right after the stent deployment.

Conclusions

Endovascular self-expanding stent-graft implantation is a viable treatment option for tracheo-innominate artery fistulae, especially in hemorrhagic emergencies.

Tracheoinnominate Artery Fistula Treated With Endovascular Stent Graft at a Level I Trauma Center

Tracheoinnominate artery fistula could be a fatal complication of tracheostomy. Herein, we present the case of a 59-year-old male with sentinel bleeding around the tracheostomy with subsequent workup revealing a tracheoinnominate fistula. Subsequently, the patient was managed with an endovascular approach with a subsequent favorable outcome. We reported an alternative approach to the management of this catastrophic complication in patients who are at high risk for complications from conventional treatment approach.