PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Dorris, Emma R
AU  - Russell, John
AU  - Murphy, Madeline
TI  - Post-intubation subglottic stenosis: aetiology at the cellular and molecular level
AID  - 10.1183/16000617.0218-2020
DP  - 2021 Mar 31
TA  - European Respiratory Review
PG  - 200218
VI  - 30
IP  - 159
4099  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/30/159/200218.short
4100  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/30/159/200218.full
SO  - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW2021 Mar 31; 30
AB  - Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a narrowing of the airway just below the vocal cords. This narrowing typically consists of fibrotic scar tissue, which may be due to a variety of diseases. This review focuses on post-intubation (PI) SGS. SGS can result in partial or complete narrowing of the airway. This narrowing is caused by fibrosis and can cause serious breathing difficulties. It can occur in both adults and children. The pathogenesis of post-intubation SGS is not well understood; however, it is considered to be the product of an abnormal healing process. This review discusses how intubation can change the local micro-environment, leading to dysregulated tissue repair. We discuss how mucosal inflammation, local hypoxia and biomechanical stress associated with intubation can promote excess tissue deposition that occurs during the pathological process of SGS.COVID-19 may cause an increased incidence of subglottic stenosis (SGS). In this review, the cellular and molecular aetiology of post-intubation SGS is outlined and we discuss how better knowledge of the underlying biology can inform SGS management. https://bit.ly/2RSliRK