Tracheo-Innominate Artery Fistula: Successful Surgical Repair Using a Portion of the Thymus as an Arterial Wrap

Abstract

A 40-year-old postcraniotomy patient was undergoing comprehensive reha bilitation at our hospital when he suddenly had massive bleeding from a tra cheo-innominate artery fistula that complicated a low tracheostomy. Successful surgical repair was achieved with an arterial wrap fashioned from a portion of the thymus. To our knowledge, this technique has never been used before.