Percutaneous subcricoid minitracheostomy: report of 50 procedures

A minitracheostomy is a small cannula in the trachea that allows permanent access to the tracheal lumen and that is used for the evacuation of bronchial secretions. It generally is performed through the cricothyroid membrane. We used a Seldinger technique in 50 patients to insert a minitracheostomy cannula in the subcricoid position. This technique proved to be easy to perform in translaryngeally intubated patients, both under local anesthesia and under general anesthesia. Operative complications occurred in 5 patients (10%), all of which were minor. The pros and cons of a minitracheostomy in the subcricoid position are discussed.