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Emergency airway puncture

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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.

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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