Hemostasis in Airway Surgery: Adult and Pediatric

Abstract

Surgical bleeding is an unlikely, but potentially devastating, event during the surgical management of pediatric and adult laryngotracheal disorders. Therefore, an intimate knowledge of the anatomy of the large vessels coursing in the vicinity of the airway is imperative. Anatomic variants in the position of the inominate artery or the superior thyroid artery can place individuals with these variations at particular risk in these cases. Delayed bleeding from an inominate artery fistula is a particularly devastating complication from open airway surgery. A high index of suspicion is necessary to allow for early identification and aggressive treatment of this potential complication.

Keywords: Airway hemangiomas; Airway lasers; Recurrent respiratory papillomas; Subglottic stenosis; Tracheoinnominate fistula.