Tracheotomy facts for kids
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, but, in the 12th century, Ibn Zuhr described the first correct tracheotomy operation for people who were suffocating (could not breathe). The current tracheostomy was described in 1909 by Chevalier Jackson, an American doctor.
Images for kids
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Figure A shows a side view of the neck and the correct placement of a tracheostomy tube in the trachea, or windpipe. Figure B shows an external view of a patient who has a tracheostomy.
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Tracheotomy tubes and endotracheal tubes are often attached to ventilators to assist in breathing.
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A tracheostomy from prior to the 20th century
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Hieronymus Fabricius
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Laryngeal structures, trachea (1 - 4) and invasive procedures (A - B) (1) Thyroid cartilage (2) Cricothyroid ligament (3) Cricoid cartilage (4) Trachea (A) Cricothyrotomy (B) Tracheotomy
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An outer cannula (top item) with inflatable cuff (top right), an inner cannula (center item) and an obturator (bottom item)
