Airway Complications of Jet Ventilation in Neonates

Abstract

Four cases of airway complications in infants surviving jet ventilation have been observed at the Children's Hospital of New Mexico. Two cases of necrotizing tracheobronchitis in preterm infants are presented: one was treated with bronchoscopy and removal of the necrotizing tissue; the second was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, prior to dilation of the affected area. A third child developed subglottic stenosis after intubation with an oversized jet endotracheal tube. A fourth child, with a history of prematurity and jet ventilation as a neonate, was found at 3 years of age to have tracheal webs in the lower third of his airway. Management and follow-up of these four cases, as well as a literature review of the known airway complications of jet ventilation, are presented.