Emergency airway puncture is an emergency insertion of a hollow needle into the airway (larynx). It is used to treat life-threatening choking.
Alternative Names:
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:
Bleeding
Infection
Additional risks include trauma to the larynx, thyroid gland, or esophagus.
Review Date: 7/25/2007
Reviewed By: James L. Demetroulakos, M.D., F.A.C.S., Department of Otolaryngology, North Shore Medical Center, Salem, MA. Clinical Instructor in Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Injury/Emergency
