Objective: To evaluate the influence of the surgical team (general surgery or thoracic surgery) and the surgical technique (with or without isthmectomy) on the incidence of postintubation injuries in the airways of tracheostomized patients. Methods: Between January 1st and August 31st, 2007, 164 patients admitted to the adult intensive care unit and tracheally intubated for more than 24 h were studied prospectively at the Sumaré State Hospital, located in the city of Sumaré, Brazil. When tracheostomy was necessary, these patients were randomly assigned to thoracic or general surgery teams. All of the patients were submitted to fiberoptic tracheoscopy for decannulation or late evaluation of the airway. Results: Of the 164 patients in the study, 90 (54.88%) died (due to causes unrelated to the procedure), 67 (40.85%) completed follow-up, and 7 (4.27%) were lost to follow-up. Of the 67 patients who completed follow-up, 32 had undergone tracheostomy (21 by the general surgery team and 11 by the thoracic surgery team), and 22 had been submitted to isthmectomy (11 by the general surgery team and 11 by the thoracic surgery team). There was no difference between the surgical teams in terms of the incidence of stoma complications. However, there was a significant difference when the surgical techniques (with or without isthmectomy) were compared. Conclusions: Not performing isthmectomy in parallel with tracheostomy leads the surgeon to open the tracheal stoma more distally than expected. In such cases, there were more stoma complications.

Keywords: Tracheostomy; Intensive care units; Tracheal stenosis.

Tracheoesophageal fistulas are uncommon and present diverse etiologies, among which is burning of the esophagus due to caustic ingestion. Herein, we report the case of a 27-year-old male patient having ingested a caustic substance 14 days prior and presenting burning retrosternal pain, weakness, productive cough with purulent sputum and dyspnea accompanied by hoarseness for the preceding 24 h. Endoscopy of the upper digestive tract revealed a tracheoesophageal fistula. Treatment consisted of cervical exclusion of the esophageal transit, together with gastrostomy. Subsequently, the nutrient transit was reconstructed through pharyngocoloplasty. The postoperative evolution was favorable.

Keywords: Tracheoesophageal fistula/etiology; Tracheoesophageal fistula/surgery; Esophageal perforation/chemically induced; Colon/surgery

The authors report the case of a 58 year-old woman with nephrolithiasis, who after being submitted to percutaneous lithotripsy developed xantogranulomatous pyelonephritis, lung abscess and sepsis. Initially, treatment included open drainage of the retroperitoneum, nephrectomy and tubular drainage of the lung abscess and pleural space, through right lateral thoracotomy. Pastereula aerogenes was isolated from both lung and retroperitoneal secretions. To our knowledge, this is the first case of nephrobronchial fistula related with this bacteria in medical literature.

Keywords: Bronchial fistula. Xantogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Lung abscess. Gram-negative bacterial infections. Lithiasis. Kidney.

The authors report a case of bronchoesophageal fistula found unsuspectedly in bronchoscopy. The radiological findings were compatible and etiologic confirmation was established by histopathological studies.

Keywords: Bronchoesophageal fistula. AIDS.

Tracheoesophageal fistula as a late complication of tracheostomy is rare and its incidence is less than 1%. Nonetheless, it should be known, diagnosed, and promptly treated in order to prevent an unfavorable evolution. The authors report on a 41-year-old female who had had tracheostomy a long time before, due to a cerebrovascular accident. Following hospital discharge, the patient presented acute respiratory insufficiency and it was observed that some material was secreted through the tracheostomy nasogastric probe. Tracheoesophageal fistula was endoscopically diagnosed, the patient was submitted to a tracheoplasty and showed good evolution.

Keywords: Tracheostomy. Tracheal tubes. Intubation. Tracheoesophageal fistula. Intensive care units.

Gastrobronchial fistula is a rare condition as a complication following bariatric surgery. The management of this condition requires the active participation of a pulmonologist, who should be familiar with aspects of the main types of bariatric surgery. Herein, we report the cases of two patients who presented recurrent subphrenic and lung abscess secondary to fistula at the angle of His for an average of 19.5 months. After relaparotomy was unsuccessful, cure was achieved by antibiotic therapy and, more importantly, by stenostomy and endoscopic dilatation, together with the use of clips and fibrin glue in the fistula. These pulmonary complications should not be treated in isolation without a gastrointestinal evaluation since this can result in worsening of the respiratory condition, thus making anesthetic management difficult during endoscopic procedures.

Keywords: Fistula; Lung abscess; Subphrenic abscess; Obesity, surgery; Endoscopy.