Emergency treatment of tracheobronchial stent migration

TRACHEOBRONCHIAL stents are widely used in patients with tracheal obstruction due to malignant tumors, benign tracheal stenosis complicating prolonged tracheal intubation, tracheostomy, and anastomotic resection or graft. 1,2 Various tracheobronchial stent models have been developed, and increasing use is made of the silicone stent designed by Dumon, which is easily inserted and removed, and more than 15,000 stents have been placed since 1987.(1) These stents are well tolerated and efficacious in relieving respiratory symptoms caused by tracheal stenosis. Nevertheless, tracheobronchial stent migration is a relatively common complication, occurring in 9.5-24% of cases.(1,3,4) We report a case of silicone tracheobronchial stent migration that resulted in acute respiratory distress. We performed a simple technique to replace the tracheobronchial stent in the correct position, using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope and a Fogarty catheter, circumventing the need for rigid bronchoscopy.