Airway Clearance in Tracheomalacia

Aodhnait S Fahy; Priscilla P L Chiu

doi:10.1016/j.sempedsurg.2021.151061

Airway Clearance in Tracheomalacia

Semin Pediatr Surg. 2021 Jun;30(3):151061. doi: 10.1016/j.sempedsurg.2021.151061. Epub 2021 May 23.

Authors

Aodhnait S Fahy¹, Priscilla P L Chiu²

Affiliations

¹ Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: priscilla.chiu@sickkids.ca.

PMID: 34172215
DOI: 10.1016/j.sempedsurg.2021.151061

Abstract

Airway clearance is an essential part of airway maintenance to ensure the airway lumen is protected against particulate and infectious insults. The mechanisms involved in airway clearance include intrinsic structural and cellular components that can be impaired or inhibited through developmental defects and surgical interventions. Tracheomalacia is a developmental defect of the airway that can contribute to the mechanical failure to clear the airway. This chapter will review the mechanisms of airway clearance and the processes that can impair this vital process.

Keywords: Esophageal atresia; Mucociliary clearance; Respiratory system; Tracheoesophageal fistula; Tracheomalacia.

MeSH terms

Esophageal Atresia*
Humans
Tracheoesophageal Fistula*
Tracheomalacia* / diagnosis
Tracheomalacia* / etiology
Tracheomalacia* / therapy