Resection of tracheal tumour under cardiopulmonary bypass: a case report

Primary tracheal tumours can cause critical airway obstruction, challenging standard anaesthetic management. We report the case of a 66-year-old male with a large subglottic tracheal tumour causing severe airway compromise. Due to a high intubation risk, endoscopic transoral laser resection was performed using femoro-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for oxygenation, uniquely deferring endotracheal intubation until after tumour removal. Despite a brief intraoperative desaturation episode and postoperative bleeding requiring intervention, the benign oncocytoma was successfully resected, and the patient recovered well. This case demonstrates femoro-femoral CPB as a safe and effective alternative for airway management during resection of severely obstructing tracheal tumours.