A 49-year-old man suffering from depression attempts suicide by jumping out of the window of his third-floor apartment. He requires multiple operations during a prolonged, complicated hospital stay. Endotracheal intubation is attempted in the ICU but is unsuccessful because of tracheal stenosis, which is attributed to which of the following?
Any object that compromises the blood supply to the tracheal mucosa or cartilage can cause stenosis. When the mean intramural pressure exceeds 20-30 mm Hg over a prolonged period, damage occurs.
Prolonged nasotracheal intubation
Orotracheal intubation
Tracheostomy tubes
High oxygen delivery
Miscellaneous