Tracheotomy

1 - Vocal cords
2 - Thyroid cartilage
3 - Cricoid cartilage 
4 - Tracheal cartilages
5 - Balloon cuff
Tracheotomy and tracheostomy is a surgery on the neck to open a direct path by cutting a hole in the trachea (windpipe). They are performed by paramedics, veterinarians, emergency physicians, and surgeons. Both surgical and percutaneous techniques are now widely used.

Tracheostomy was written about in ancient Egyptian tablets,"Tracheostomy: Evolution of an Airway,"  Steven E. Sittig and James E. Pringnitz, AARC Times, February 2001. but, in the 12th century, Ibn Zuhr described the first correct tracheotomy operation for people who were suffocating (could not breathe).Prof. Dr. Mostafa Shehata, "The Ear, Nose and Throat in Islamic Medicine", Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine, 2003 (1): 2-5 [4]. The current tracheostomy was described in 1909 by Chevalier Jackson, an American doctor.

 References 

 Other websites 
 Tracheotomy Info
 Aaron's tracheostomy page
 How to perform an emergency tracheotomy  (for information purposes only)
 RT Corner Educational Site for RT's and Nurses 
 Pictures with video clips of tracheotomies 
 "Book of Simplification Concerning Therapeutics and Diet" is an old book from 1497, in Latin, that talks about tracheotomies

Category:Medical emergencies