Emergency laser treatment of a tracheobronchial carcinoid during ECMO

Early diagnosis of endobronchial carcinoids is challenging, as they often mimic other common acute respiratory conditions at first presentation. Increasing consensus favours surgical resection over endoscopic management of bronchial carcinoids whenever possible. ECMO has been reported to be an effective supportive strategy in many cases of elective and urgent surgical or endoscopic airway procedures. However, it has never been described as a supportive technique for the emergency endoscopic management of an endobronchial carcinoid. Herein we report the case of a 17 year-old girl presenting with spontaneous pneumomediastinum and an almost complete endotracheal obstruction at the level of the main carina, due to a typical carcinoid that was treated successfully by endoscopic laser disruption under veno-venous extracorporeal circulation in an emergency scenario.