Tracheo-innominate artery fistula after tracheostomy--a case report.

Tracheo-innominate artery fistula (TIF) is a rare but fatal complication after tracheostomy. There are no reports of survival without surgical intervention. We report a patient with an undiagnosed TIF who suffered massive bleeding from tracheostomy when we replaced the tracheostomy tube with an oral endotracheal tube. We emphasize the importance of keeping a high suspicion toward a possible TIF in any patient with bleeding from the tracheostomy site.