Acute external laryngotracheal trauma: diagnosis and management

Laryngotracheal trauma may result in lifelong complications or even death if diagnosis or treatment is delayed. Emergency room physicians, trauma surgeons, anesthesiologists, and especially otolaryngologists should maintain a high level of awareness of and suspicion for laryngotracheal trauma whenever a patient presents with multiple trauma in general or with cervical trauma in particular. Although there is some controversy regarding care, treatment in experienced hands will usually result in a favorable outcome. In this article, we review and update the diagnosis and management of acute external laryngotracheal trauma.