Bluntly traumatic tracheal transection: usefulness of percutaneous cardiopulmonary support for maintenance of gas exchange

Respiratory management of tracheal injuries is a crucial key to successful treatment. We present herein a patient with a traumatic tracheal transection in whom we confronted difficulty in airway management after false intratracheal intubation. No associated injuries were seen in the patient, then, primary repair of the trachea was carried out under ventilatory support via percutaneous cardiopulmonary support system (PCPS). For a short period in the application of PCPS, the use of a heparin-coated circuit made systemic heparinization unnecessary during and after operation, and the outcome was satisfactory. In a carefully selected patient, ventilatory support via PCPS is useful.