Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
BOOKS
Bach, John R. Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation. NJ: Hanley and Belfus, 2002.
Fagan, Johannes J., et al. Tracheotomy. Alexandria, VA: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and...
Neck Surgery Foundation, Inc., 1997.
"Neck Surgery." In The Surgery Book: An Illustrated Guide to73 of the Most Common Operations, ed. Robert M. Younson, et al. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993.
Schantz, Nancy V. "Emergency Cricothyroidotomy and Tracheostomy." In Procedures for the Primary Care Physician, ed. John Pfenninger and Grant Fowler. New York: Mosby, 1994.
OTHER
"Answers to Common Otolaryngology Health Care Questions." Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Page. University of Washington School of Medicine [cited July 1, 2003].
Sicard, Michael W. "Complications of Tracheotomy." The Bobby R. Alford Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Communicative Sciences. December 1, 1994 [cited July 1, 2003].
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Even though we are constantly breathing, we do not often think about what is happening when we do so. This narrated animation describes respiration of the lungs and oxygenation of the blood.
For a tracheotomy, an incision is made in the skin just above the sternal notch (A). Just below the thyroid, the membrane covering the trachea is divided (B), and the trachea itself is cut (C). A cross incision is made to enlarge the opening (D), and a tracheostomy tube may be put in place (E). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Other Information
Tracheotomy and tracheostomy are surgical procedures on the neck to open a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (the windpipe). They are performed by paramedics, veterinarians, emergency physicians and surgeons. Both surgical and percutaneous techniques are now widely used.
While tracheostomy may have possibly been portrayed on ancient Egyptian tablets, the first correct description of the tracheotomy operation for suffocating patients was described by Ibn Zuhr in the 12th century, and the currently used surgical tracheostomy technique was described in 1909 by Dr. Chevalier Jackson from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Other Information
ENT surgeons diagnose and treat conditions of the ears, nose, throat, head and neck, and undertake some cosmetic procedures.
-Dr David Luff
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