Congenital tracheal stenosis.

http://ccn.aacnjournals.org Lorri M. Phipps is a pediatric nurse practitioner and Jill A. Raymond is a clinical staff nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit, Departments of Pediatrics and Nursing, Division of Critical Care, at Penn State Children’s Hospital, Hershey, Pa. Tammy M. Angeletti is a pediatric respiratory specialist in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Therapy, at Penn State Children’s Hospital. is 45%. Class 3 includes any stenosis with marked heart or lung disease and has the highest mortality rate of 79%. Elliot et al proposed that the evaluation and subsequent definition of CTS be uniformly based on 4 elements: the narrowness of the trachea, the extent of tracheal involvement, the involvement of the bronchi, and the presence or absence of complete tracheal rings. Complete tracheal rings (Figure 1), in which the membranous part of the trachea is absent and the cartilage is circumferential, are common in CTS. CTS is often associated with other congenital malformations of the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal systems (Table 1). Vascular rings are among the most common associated anomaly in children with CTS. An associated pulLorri M. Phipps, RN, MSN, CPNP Jill A. Raymond, RN, BSN Tammy M. Angeletti, MS, RRT-NPS, CPFT