Traumatic injury of the cervicothoracic trachea and major bronchi

Interstate highways and crowded urban areas have become the "battlefields" of the 1990s. The weapons are motor vehicles, handguns, and knives. This article relates the historical perspective, diagnosis, and management of traumatic injury to the cervicothoracic trachea and major bronchi. The etiologic factors are explained in depth. Examples of the current management of cervicothoracic tracheal injuries, including resection, primary repair, and the use of autogenous tissue to buttress or wrap the repair, are explained and illustrated.