Near Total Airway Obstruction in a "Bleeding Tracheostomy" - A Roller Coaster Ride

Dr. Soumi Pathak, Dr. Itee Chowdhury, Dr Nitesh Goel, Dr. Anusha

Abstract: Late tracheostomy bleed can cause life - threatening airway obstruction. Timely detection is paramount, as even small quantities of endobronchial blood can lead to a substantial deterioration in gas exchange and hypoxemia. Moreover, the altered colour of the organised clot can sometimes give a deceptive appearance of a tumour mass. In this case report, we would like to highlight how a multidisciplinary team helped in identifying the cause of the airway obstruction thereby enabling prompt intervention.

Keywords: Airway obstruction, tracheostomy, Haemorrhage