Clinical study of tracheal stent in the treatment of congenital heart disease with airway obstruction in children

Objective To study the clinical effect of endotracheal stent implantation for treatment of congenital tracheal obstruction due to preoperative airway stenosis and postoperative dislocation difficulty. Methods 23 children with congenital heart disease complicated with severe tracheal stenosis were treated in our hospital from March 2015 to December 2017. The operation of congenital heart disease and airway stenting were performed. The preoperative diagnosis of the children was based on the bronchoscopy and CT airway reconstruction, and the patients were followed up for 1 to 24 months after the hospital was discharged. And every 1 to 3 month, the hospital was assessed by FFB. Results 20 children had good growth and development, and 21 of the 23 cases were removed by tracheal intubation to NCPAP within 1 weeks after the stent implantation, and they were transferred to the general ward within 2 weeks after the operation, and the hospital was discharged within 4 weeks after the operation. 1 children were discharged from hospital in 4 month after the operation , because of severe lung infection. In 1 cases, the airway was blocked by recurrent granulation tissue and necrotic epithelium, the treatment was abandoned. 22 cases of children were followed up by FFB. The stent was well epithelialization. 13 out of 23 cases were successfully removed. Conclusion Tracheal intubation can not be performed in children with congenital heart disease due to airway stenosis before operation. After operation, with uncontrolled pulmonary infection and atelectasis, the children often failed to removing intubation. By FFB, the airway stent of implantation and removal are one of the effective treatment methods. However, there are still many complications and need to be strictly controlled. Key words: Congenital heart defect; Tracheal stenosis; Airway stents