Emergency airway puncture
Emergency airway puncture
Cricoid cartilage
Cricoid cartilage

Emergency airway puncture

Definition:
This is an emergency incision, or insertion of a hollow needle, into the airway (larynx). It is used to treat life-threatening choking.

Alternative Names:
Emergency airway puncture; Needle cricothyrotomy

Description:

In an emergency situation, when someone is choking and all other efforts to assist with breathing have failed, a hollow needle can be inserted into the throat, just below the Adam's apple (cricoid cartilage). In hospital settings, a small skin incision may be made before inserting the needle or tube.

Indications:

A cricothyrotomy is recommended as an emergency procedure to relieve an airway obstruction until surgical placement of a breathing tube (tracheostomy) can be done.

Risks:

Risks for any surgery are:

Additional risks include:

  • Trauma to the larynx, thyroid gland, or esophagus
Expectations after surgery:

Emergency airway puncture (cricothyrotomy) can be quite effective in relieving airway obstruction.

Convalescence:

See tracheostomy.


Review Date: 1/18/2002
Reviewed By: Ashutosh Kacker, M.D., Department of Otolaryngology, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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