Emergency airway puncture
Alternative names:
emergency airway puncture; needle cricothyrotomy
Definition:
An emergency incision, or insertion of a hollow needle,
into the airway (larynx); used to treat life-threatening choking.
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.
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.
Update Date: 02/09/00
Updated by: J. Gordon Lambert, MD, Associate Medical Director,
Utah Health Informatics and adam.com
editorial
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