A 25-year-old man developed tracheal stenosis due to prolonged intubation for five days. Immediately after bougienage, his left lung was not possible to ventilate and emergency tracheostomy was performed to produce ample space for airflow. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy showed that his left main bronchus was totally obstructed by sputum at the entrance of the superior and inferior lobar bronchi. Inadequate airway clearance increases the risk of infection and airway obstruction. We suggest chest physiotherapy be applied to all patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), especially patients with tracheal stenosis, due to its positive impact on pulmonary functional ability and ICU stay.
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Açık ve Kapalı Sistem Endotrakeal Aspirasyon Standardı ve Güncel Klinik Öneriler İlkin Yılmaz, Dilek Özden İzmir Katip Çelebi Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi.2025; 10(3): 524. CrossRef