In today's article, we will be discussing cricothyroidotomies. Continue reading to learn more!
Overview
Cricothyroidotomy, also known as cricothyrotomy, involves making an incision through the skin and cricothyroid membrane and placing a tube in. It is an essential emergency procedure performed to secure a clear airway. Intubation and ventilation typically fail due to factors such as difficult patient anatomy or excess blood in the patient’s mouth so as a result, cricothyroidotomy is performed. This procedure is done to prevent mortality or morbidity.
Indications
Before performing a cricothyrotomy, one must consider all the indications for a need to perform a cricothyrotomy.
These indications include:
Foreign body obstructing the airway
Swelling in the face, neck, or throat
Inability to ventilate or intubate
Large trauma to face or neck
Inability to perform a tracheostomy
Contraindication
Contraindication is a medical term used to describe a condition that serves as a reason to not do a certain procedure due to the harm it would cause the patient.
The contraindications for cricothyroidotomy include:
Situation 1
When there is a way to obtain an airway through a less invasive procedure.
Situation 2
If a child is under ten years of age. This is because children are susceptible to laryngeal
trauma and are at a higher risk for postoperative complications.
Complications
Some complications that can occur include:
Bleeding
Failure
Infection
Damage to local structures
Scarring
Hypoxia
Death
Cricoid fracture
Fistula formation
Standard Approach
Although there are many different techniques and approaches to
surgical cricothyroidotomy, there is a standard approach for this
procedure.
The following are the steps for the standard approach.
First, make a midline incision over the cricoid membrane.
Next, identify the cricothyroid membrane through blunt dissection.
Make a short transverse incision in the lower part of the
membrane.
Stabilize the larynx with a tracheal hook.
Then, dilate the ostomy with curved hemostats.
Place Trousseau dilator in the incision and dilate the ostomy
further.
Finally, place the tube in the trachea.
Thank you for reading our article on cricothyroidotomy ! Feel free to comment what topics you want us to cover in the future. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more frequent updates or for a summary of the article. Stay tuned for even more articles on everything about medicine.
The medical field is an always growing and changing field. We hope to address and raise awareness of current health problems, advancements, and general information about the medical world. If you like our mission, please show us your support by interacting with our website and social media!
Just a disclaimer, photos used in this article may or may not depict cricothyroidotomy and photos used were meant to symbolize an aspect discussed in the article. All photos are not ours and belong to the respective owners.
Comments