EMERGENCY OPERATIONS ON THE AIRWAY: TRACHEOSTOMY AND LARYNGOTOMY INTRODUCTION

There are circumstances under which it becomes necessary to provide an alternative airway because of actual or potential obstruction at the level of the larynx or above it. These circumstances include trauma which disrupts the upper airway, acute infections with swelling of the tissues above the vocal cords, and the presence of large tumours of the larynx or the base of the tongue.