We reported a patient intubated for more than 30 d following brain injury, transferred to our department with tracheocutaneous fistula and a 2 cm fistula between the trachea and the esophagus. We performed tracheal resection and esophageal closure with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap interposed between suture lines. The patient continued mechanical ventilation after surgery and the tracheotomy was achieved 14 d after the beginning of surgical treatment. The patient was started oral feeding and discharged on the 10 d after tracheotomy and referred to a neuromotor recovery clinic for treatment of post-traumatic sequelae.

This study reports the surgical treatment of a female patient at age of 64 years with novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) latent infection complicated with esophageal foreign body perforation with no significant changes in the lung CT. The patient was confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 infection on the 4th day after surgery and then was transferred into the Department of Infectious Disease in our hospital for treatment. This case has guiding value for the operation of thoracic surgery during the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia.

Since December 2019, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak has occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and the epidemic situation has continued to spread. Such cases have also been found in other parts of the country. The spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic has brought great challenges to the clinical practice of thoracic surgery. Outpatient clinics need to strengthen the differential diagnosis of ground glass opacity and pulmonary plaque shadows. During the epidemic, surgical indications are strictly controlled, and selective surgery is postponed. Patients planning to undergo a limited period of surgery should be quarantined for 2 weeks and have a nucleic acid test when necessary before surgery. For patients who are planning to undergo emergency surgery, nucleic acid testing should be carried out before surgery, and three-level protection should be performed during surgery. Patients who are planning to undergo emergency surgery in the epidemic area should be confirmed with or without novel coronavirus pneumonia before operation, and perform nucleic acid test if necessary. Surgical disinfection and isolation measures should be strictly carried out. Among postoperative patients, cases with new coronavirus infection were actively investigated. For the rescue of patients with novel coronavirus infection, attention needs to be paid to prevention and treatment and related complications, including mechanical ventilation-related pneumothorax or mediastinal emphysema, and injury after tracheal intubation.