Management of a "Can Intubate, Can't Ventilate" Airway Post-tracheostomy: A Case Report

In this case report of a 36-year-old with a remotely healed tracheostomy stoma, urgent intubation led to false passage formation despite the endotracheal tube appearing to pass through the vocal cords. Absent end-tidal CO₂ and breath sounds were initially attributed to severe bronchospasm, but progressively increasing subcutaneous air prompted fiberoptic bronchoscopy, which revealed a paratracheal false passage. The patient developed hypoxic cardiac arrest, required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and, ultimately, died. This case underscores the critical need for early bronchoscopy evaluation when standard confirmation methods are inconclusive, as well as the importance of avoiding anchoring bias in airway emergencies.