Acute tracheal rupture related to endotracheal intubation: case report

Tracheal laceration is a rare complication of endotracheal intubation. We present a case of tracheal laceration after a simple prehospital tracheal intubation in a patient with severe tracheomalacia. The most likely cause of the tracheal injury was massive overinflation of the endotracheal tube cuff and the preexisting tracheal wall weakness. The case illustrates the classic radiologic signs of tracheal laceration, and we review the relevant literature.