Description
This shows the trachea; there is a 2 cm tracheostomy present in the upper part. The trachea below
the tracheostomy is extensively ulcerated and shows several areas of exudation in the lower part.
History
This young man was admitted with head injuries and a fracture of the right tibia, and of
the left femur, following a motor vehicle accident; he was a front seat passenger. He died 14 days
after admission, having had a tube in his trachea for that length of time. He also had a naso-gastric
tube in place and his oesophagus was ulcerated at the lower end of the larynx, and at the level of
the tracheal bifurcation. At autopsy a fractured skull was found; the cause of death was given as
bronchopneumonia.