BACKGROUND: Anomalies of vascular anatomy in the neck are well recognised. We present a case of a very rare aberrant artery discovered during tracheostomy. CASE PRESENTATION: Elective tracheostomy was performed in theatre for an elderly gentleman on long-term ventilation. Pre-operative examination of the neck revealed no obvious abnormality. During surgery, a large vessel was revealed overlying...

INTRODUCTION Following advances of Intensive Care medicine and widespread administration of mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy has become one of the indispensable surgical procedures. During this research we tried to assess and compare two main strategies for doing tracheostomy: Surgically Created Tracheostomy (SCT) and Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy (PDT). METHODS In a randomized c...

BACKGROUND Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is increasingly popular within intensive care units for patients who need prolonged ventilatory support. Significant complications are rare. CASE PRESENTATION Our patient suffered tracheal ring fracture and early tracheomalacia following this procedure. These complications are demonstrated in our accompanying video. CONCLUSION Contrary...