Massive hemorrhage from perforated thyroid complicating tracheostomy. Report of two cases

Two cases of unusual hemorrhagic complication of tracheostomy involved perforation of the thyroid gland as the cause of hemorrhagic episodes. In one case, massive hemorrhage complicated the postoperative course of a 62-year-old man with dissecting aortic aneurysm. In the other, fatal hemorrhage occurred after tracheostomy through the thyroid gland in a 6-month-old boy. A major branch of the thyroid artery was ruptured adjacent to the tracheostomy wound. This is the sixth reported case of fatal hemorrhage from perforation of thyroid artery after tracheostomy, to our knowledge.