The trachea of 25-year-old Berkay Kaynak, who remained in intensive care after a traffic accident, was completely blocked. After the tracheostomy opened for him to breathe, Berkay, who also lost his voice, had a difficult surgery that brought him back to life. Thoracic Surgery  Specialist Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan emphasized that Berkay was very different from other cases due to the blockage of a very large part of the trachea, and the stenosis that caused the blockage almost rest on the vocal cords. "In such a case, they performed a challenging surgery by applying the telescopic end-to-end insertion method for the first time." Berkay regained both his health and his voice...

Berkay Kaynak, a truck driver who has a daughter, had a traffic accident in Izmir. He was hospitalized, operated due to injuries on his legs, and stayed in intensive care for 9 days. After 45 days, after he was discharged, he had shortness of breath that took him to the hospital again. After the evaluations made, tracheostomy (placing a plastic cannula into the trachea by making a hole in the throat) was applied urgently in order to breathe. However, after this procedure, Kaynak, whose trachea was completely narrowed and closed, became unable to speak...Intending to regain his voice, Kaynak and his family immediately started searching for treatment. Although the surgery was risky and difficult, Kaynak, who dreamed of being able to speak with his wife and daughter again, decided to undergo the surgery. With the successful surgery performed by Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan, Head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Yeditepe University Hospitals, and his team, he again felt the pleasure of being able to breathe comfortably and speak with his wife and daughter by regaining his voice.

“The Trachea was Blocked Just Below the Vocal Cords”

Stating that Berkay's condition was very dramatic when first diagnosed, Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan, Dean of Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine, and Head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Yeditepe University Hospitals, stated the following:

When we first met Berkay, he was still having problems with his legs due to the accident. In addition, the upper part of his trachea was completely closed after the tracheostomy was performed to enable him to breathe. He was unable to speak and therefore could not communicate. When we analyzed his CT scan, we saw that he was a very unique case. Because the trachea had started to close like a flat wall in an area closer than one centimeter to the vocal cords. Therefore, it would have been very difficult to preserve the functions of the vocal cords due to the additional procedure that had to be performed at very close proximity while removing the tracheostomy in order to restore our patients ability to breath normally.

“We Applied the Method of Making a Joint by Nesting for the First Time in This Case”

Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan said that they performed the surgery using the telescopic insertion method for the first time in such a case and continued his statements as follows "A very difficult operation was performed with the telescopic method (tracheal anastomosis). Just below the vocal cords, at a distance of less than one centimeter, the trachea was closed as if a flat wall had formed. We applied the technique of reattaching the trachea by telescopic method, which we can apply in different surgeries such as lung transplantation, for the first time in this type of case. For this purpose, we created a new crescent-shaped bed in the cartilage structures in the larynx section just below the vocal cords, where the intact trachea would be brought and placed. We brought the intact trachea and added it immediately under the vocal cords with special maneuvers. This gave a very good result exactly as we planned before the operation. In the control tomographs, we took three months after the operation, we were pleased to see that the entire integrity of the trachea was preserved and that it had an anatomy as if it had never been operated on. The fact that the two very thin nerves leading to the vocal cords came out of such a difficult operation without any damage and Berkay's voice returned to normal completely made us much more satisfied with the result.

“I Was Unable to Speak for About 6-7 Months After the Accident”

Stating that he had great difficulties after the accident, Berkay Kaynak said, "I had a very long treatment process. My arms and legs were broken. Then I was discharged, but this time I started to experience shortness of breath. While trying to treat my shortness of breath, everything got worse. I was unable to speak for about 6-7 months. In this process, we found Dr. Sina. After long examinations and examinations, he said that there was a chance of success, but I had to go through a very difficult surgery. I decided to have the surgery thinking 'it is worth it' in order to be able to talk to my daughter and my wife. When I came out of intensive care on the second day of the surgery, I said 'at last' when I could speak."

“Their Happiness When They Heard My Voice Was a Sight to See”

Stating that he had a lot on his mind before the treatment, Kaynak said, "I always tried to keep my psychology in order by trying to do the things I love. I thought about what I would do if I could not speak forever. If this condition was permanent, life would be very difficult for me. When I came out of the operation, I had a video call with my family. When I saw the happiness and excitement on their faces, I said that I was glad I had the surgery. I said that I would undergo this surgery and get better and be happy, and I was," he said.