Health Encyclopedia

Emergency airway puncture

Definition

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.

Expectations after surgery

Emergency airway puncture (cricothyrotomy) can be quite effective in relieving an airway obstruction.

Convalescence

See: Tracheostomy

References

Marx J. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2006.

Roberts JR, Hedges JR. Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2004.

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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