2013 Volume 64 Issue 3 Pages 189-193
We reviewed 58 cases of emergent tracheotomy. Twenty-two cases demonstrated inflammatory disease, 16 cases demonstrated tumor disease and 13 cases demonstrated bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (RLNP).Operations were performed in the operating room on 53 patients, whereas with five patients we had no margin to take them to the operating room, so their operations were performed in their ward or the emergency room. These operations took 18.6 minutes to perform on average. Postoperative complications occurred in 3 cases. These were 2 cases of aerodermectasia and 1 case of mediastinal emphysema and pneumothorax caused by inappropriate operation involving intratracheal intubation. Emergent tracheotomy is more difficult than elective tracheotomy, so head and neck surgeons should have thorough knowledge about local anatomy and sufficient surgical technique.
