A 7-year-old boy was playing with his older brother when he accidentally fell and hit his neck and chest on the corner of a wooden TV shelf, breaking his trachea.
The baby had difficulty breathing, had chest pain, and had bulging skin on his chin and cheeks. He was transferred to the National Children’s Hospital for emergency treatment. The results of a chest computed tomography scan showed that the baby had bilateral pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and extensive subcutaneous emphysema, which was life-threatening.
On April 4, Dr. Dang Anh Duong, Head of the Department of Surgical Intensive Treatment, said that the child’s trachea had a ruptured trachea, with a 3 cm vertical rupture, and was operated on immediately.
After surgery, the child was awake, had no difficulty breathing, and was able to eat and drink. The baby is discharged from the hospital but needs regular check-ups so the doctor can monitor the recovery process.
The trachea is a tube about 10-15 cm long, less than 2.54 cm in diameter, responsible for carrying air. The trachea is made up of about 20 rings of cartilage, muscle and connective tissue. External impact can cause cartilage to break, affecting the ability to breathe. If the patient does not receive timely emergency treatment, his or her life will be in danger.
Young children often run, jump, and play, easily falling or bumping into household objects. Next to tables and chairs are places where children are often bumped and can be injured due to sharp corners. Since the beginning of the year until now, the Surgical Intensive Treatment Department has treated 3 children with tracheal injuries due to daily life accidents or falls while riding bicycles.
Doctors recommend that during children’s activities and play, parents need to pay attention to strong and direct injuries to the neck, chest, and sternum. Strong impacts can cause trauma to the child’s trachea, which is life-threatening. If pneumomediastinum is severe, it can compress the heart and cause death.