Transtracheal Aspiration Complicated by Fatal Endotracheal Hemorrhage

Abstract

The benefits of transtracheal aspiration in the diagnosis of etiologic agents in pneumonia have been stressed in many articles.^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10} Complications with this procedure have been very infrequent, usually consisting of minimal hemoptysis for a few minutes after the removal of the material. In the case reported below, fatal hemorrhage was associated with transtracheal aspiration in a young man with pneumonia whose complication was related to an anatomic variant.Case ReportAn 18-year-old Navy recruit was well until two weeks before admission when laryngitis and a nonproductive cough developed. Despite appropriate therapy, these symptoms progressed over the next seven days to . . .