1 hr ago
Bronchoscopy Reopens Narrowed Airway in 18-Year-Old Student Without Conventional Surgery
An 18-year-old student became very sick with an infection affecting his brain.
He needed a breathing machine with a tube for a long time.
The tube injured part of his airway, making the passage for air much narrower.
He later had trouble breathing and made a harsh, high-pitched sound when breathing.
Doctors found that about 70% of his airway was narrowed.
Instead of using conventional surgery, they inserted a small camera called a bronchoscope.
They used a tiny cutting tool and a balloon to open the narrowed area.
His airway stayed open during a check the next day.
He was able to leave the hospital the same day.
An 18-year-old student from Mizoram developed severe airway narrowing after prolonged ventilation for herpes zoster encephalitis.
A CT scan showed post-intubation stenosis causing nearly 70% narrowing across multiple airway layers.
Doctors at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur used a bronchoscope, electrocautery knife and balloon dilation to reopen the airway.
The minimally invasive procedure caused minimal blood loss, and a next-day check showed the airway remained open.
The patient was discharged the same day, avoiding surgery that could have required further ventilation and intensive care.
- Who
- An 18-year-old college student from Mizoram, treated by doctors at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur.
- What
- A bronchoscopic procedure reopened severe post-intubation airway narrowing without conventional surgery.
- Where
- Manipal Hospital Mukundapur; the initial ventilation took place in Mizoram.
- When
- The airway procedure was performed in early September; his encephalitis and ventilation occurred in 2025.
- Why
- Prolonged ventilation with an endotracheal tube injured and narrowed his airway, causing breathing difficulties and stridor.
Key facts
- Patient
- 18-year-old college student from Mizoram
- Initial illness
- Herpes zoster encephalitis, complicated by aspiration pneumonia
- Complication
- Post-intubation stenosis after prolonged ventilation
- Airway narrowing
- Nearly 70% across multiple layers
- Treatment
- Bronchoscopic electrocautery followed by balloon dilation
- Outcome
- Minimal blood loss; airway remained dilated at next-day bronchoscopy
- Discharge
- Patient was discharged the same day after the check procedure
Quotes
Angshuman Mukherjee
Senior consultant and pulmonary medicine specialist at Manipal Hospital Mukundapur
“During ventilation, there is a tube that goes inside to facilitate the machine, and under the pressure, the upper part of the airway was injured. An injury like this is not unheard of for patients on prolonged ventilation”
telegraphindia.com
“Using an electrocautery knife, the stenotic layers were precisely cut open, following which the entire narrowed segment was dilated using a balloon. The procedure resulted in minimal blood loss.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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