Management of tracheal surgery complications

Complications in tracheal surgery are not uncommon but generally do not influence the final result. Most patients benefit from tracheal resections and mortality is low. Risk factors for complications are reoperations, preoperative tracheostomy, and lengthy resections. Precise information about the extent of the diseased tracheal part as well as thorough planning of the operative procedure, meticulous dissection, and knowledge of release maneuvers by an experienced thoracic surgeon will diminish the risk of adverse effects. Granuloma formation is the most common event observed postoperatively, whereas dehiscence and restenosis or the potentially fatal bleeding from a tracheo-innominate artery fistula occurs less frequently.