Intubation-related airway injury leads to surgery site infection after single-door laminoplasty：a case report and literature review

Background: Open-door laminoplasty is an effective surgical method for treating cervical spondylotic myelopathy. There are many risk factors associated with infection at the surgical site after cervical spine surgery, but few cases have been reported of infection at the surgical site due to tracheal injury. Case presentation: Herein, we report a case of a 56-year-old man with partial paralysis due to acute cervical spinal cord compression. The drainage bag is always filled with gas after cervical laminoplasty. After examination, it was considered that the trachea was damaged by endotracheal intubation, which resulted in gas escaping from loose tissue. The wound healing was poor after surgery. We performed two debridements and two months of antibiotic therapy. Finally, we retained the patient's cervical internal fixation device and the patient's symptoms of incomplete paralysis were significantly improved. Conclusions: : Abnormal drainage bag may be an early indication of possible trachea injury. We can avoid possible adverse consequences by early recognition.