We report the case of a man with severe Guillain-Barré syndrome who developed a persistent tracheocutaneous fistula (TCF) following prolonged tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation. Following tracheostomy decannulation, the TCF had a deleterious effect on non-invasive positive pressure ventilation efficacy and ability to effectively clear airway secretions due to air leaking from the patent stoma. This case highlights a non-surgical approach to TCF management that is not well-described in the literature and presents an alternative management option for cohorts of patients in which the risk associated with surgical interventions may be undesirable.
Keywords: trachea; tracheocutaneous fistula; tracheostomy; ventilation; wound healing.
© 2022 The Authors. Respirology Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.