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Updated: Jun 1, 2026
04:43
Endotracheal Intubation via Tracheotomy and Subsequent Thoracotomy in Rats for Non-Survival Applications
Published on: March 15, 2024
Tracheotomy in the unprotected airway
Sam Bobek1, R Bryan Bell, Eric Dierks
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Summary
Urgent tracheotomies are a rare but critical procedure for securing an airway. This study found an incidence of 6.1% for urgent tracheotomies in patients needing a surgical airway.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Surgical Airway Management
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Securing an airway is critical in emergency situations.
- Tracheotomy offers a surgical airway alternative when non-surgical intubation fails.
- Urgent airway management is necessary for patients with compromised respiratory status.
Observation:
- A retrospective review identified 327 tracheotomies in 325 patients over five years.
- Urgent tracheotomies were defined as procedures performed on patients with an intact, unprotected airway.
- Twenty urgent tracheotomies were performed in 19 patients.
Findings:
- The incidence of urgent tracheotomies was 6.1% (20 of 327 procedures).
- The patient incidence for urgent tracheotomies was 5.8% (19 of 325 patients).
Implications:
- Tracheotomy is a viable surgical airway option for patients with deteriorating respiratory conditions.
- This technique provides a crucial alternative when endotracheal intubation is not feasible.
- Understanding the incidence of urgent tracheotomies informs resource allocation and training in emergency airway management.
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