Zentralblatt für Chirurgie
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Tracheobronchial injuries are rare events but often life-threatening. A great expertise in the field of thoracic surgery is necessary to manage these events. ⋯ The flexible or rigid bronchoscopy is the central diagnostic procedure to classify the injury. Whereas iatrogenic tracheal lacerations can be treated by conservative or operative means depending on severity, traumatic injuries of the tracheo-bronchial system need technically challenging operative reconstructions in almost every case.
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Exposure of the respiratory tract during surgical interventions is an important topic of occupational medicine, which has only rarely been investigated. Based on a literature search, relevant information on the possible health risk is summarised. Within the operating room, an exposure of the respiratory tract to gas (volatile anaesthetics) and aerosols (smoking gas by coagulation) can occur. ⋯ However, available data on health risks of the chronic exposure to smoking gases are still deficient although toxic and cancerogenic organic pyrolysis products are generated. The protection effect of modern air conditioning (e.g., laminar air flow) is only insufficiently investigated. Therefore, further studies on these problems are required.