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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

The Rigid Tube as an Alternative in Controlling the Problematic Airway
Published on: June 6, 2020
[Percutaneous tracheostomy for the management of the patient with a difficult airway]
1Anesthesia and Critical Care Service, Chiba Aoba Municipal Hospital, Chiba, Japan.
Background:
In recent years, percutaneous tracheostomy has been performed in patients with adverse conditions such as short neck, obesity, coagulopathy or in emergency.
Methods:
We performed percutaneous tracheostomy with Griggs' or Ciaglia's technique in five patients with difficult airways due to laryngeal tumors, a laryngeal edema, a neck cancer or a cervical injury.
Results:
Well-trained anesthesiologists performed all procedures. In four patients, percutaneous tracheostomy was completed rapidly without any complications. The rest of patients underwent orotracheal intubation successfully with a percutaneous tracheostomy set prepared for an emergency situation. We call this setting "Stand-by PCT".
Conclusions:
We believe that percutaneous tracheostomy in well-trained hands can be used safely for the management of the patient with a difficult airway.
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