Traumatic Transection of the Right Main Bronchus

In this video, the authors present the case of a 51-year-old man who suffered a high impact cyclist collision with a car. He suffered a severe right neck extension injury, which transected his brachial plexus and caused multiple right transverse process fractures of his cervical spine. In addition, he suffered disruption of the right internal jugular vein and vertebral artery dissection. He went for urgent surgery to the neck and after this operation, significant surgical emphysema was seen. A bronchoscopy was performed which demonstrated complete transection of the right main bronchus without pneumothorax. He was transferred immediately to the operating room where a posterolateral thoracotomy was performed. The transection was immediately identified. The edges of the bronchus and the trachea at the carina was very good quality and a simple continuous suture repair was performed. The lung came up and there was no air leak, and the drain was removed the next day.