Burns and tracheo-oesophageal-cutaneous fistula

Abstract

We report an unusual case of electric burns suffered by a 15-yr-old boy. The patient's neck had come in contact with a high voltage broken electric wire and by reflex he had pulled it away with his right hand. He presented with a tracheo-cutaneous fistula with a right-sided pneumothorax. Emergency airway management included insertion of a tracheostomy tube through the traumatic opening in the neck and insertion of an intercostal tube drain. When the diagnostic endoscopy revealed an externally communicating tracheo-oesophageal fistula, protecting the lower airways from gastrointestinal contamination became a priority. The patient was anaesthetized through the traumatic tracheostomy and a formal low tracheostomy was done below the level of the fistula. The patient then underwent oesophageal reconstruction with a stomach free flap. Tracheooesophageal-cutaneous fistula is a rare presentation of electric burns. The anaesthetic management of the emergency difficult airway in any penetrating neck injury can be extremely difficult requiring a carefully planned multi-disciplinary approach. © The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia 2004.