Case report: Acute management of external laryngeal trauma

Abstract

External laryngeal trauma is rare, accounting for less than 1% of all trauma cases seen at major centers. We report the case of a man who experienced multiple injuries, including an external laryngeal trauma. The primary signs and symptoms of his laryngeal trauma were hoarseness, hemoptysis, the loss of his laryngeal prominence (Adam's apple), neck tenderness, traumatic emphysema in the neck, and a small penetrating wound to the right of the laryngeal prominence. The patient underwent immediate tracheostomy and surgical exploration. On long-term followup, his voice quality and airway patency improved. This case illustrates the importance of rapid identification and early management of laryngotracheal trauma in a patient with multiple injuries.