The risks for any anesthesia are:

• Problems breathing
• Reactions to medications, including heart attack and stroke

The risks for any surgery are:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Nerve injury, including paralysis

Other risks include:

• Damage to the thyroid gland
• Erosion of the trachea (rare)
• Puncture of the lung and lung collapse
• Scar tissue in the trachea that causes pain or trouble breathing

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Tracheostomy Overview

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Tracheostomy Recovery

Review Date: 01/05/2011
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)