Emergency airway puncture is insertion of a hollow needle into the airway done to treat life-threatening choking.

Needle cricothyrotomy

In an emergency situation, when someone is choking and all other efforts to assist with breathing have failed, a hollow needle or tube can be inserted into the throat, just below the Adam's apple (cricoid cartilage).

In a hospital setting, a small cut in the skin is made before inserting the needle.

A cricothyrotomy is recommended as an emergency procedure to relieve an airway obstruction until surgery can be done to place a breathing tube (tracheostomy).

Emergency airway puncture (cricothyrotomy) can be quite effective in temporarily relieving an airway obstruction, but it must quickly be replaced by a more effective means of ventilation.

What happens will depend on the cause of the airway obstruction and how quickly the person receives a better means of ventilation.

See: Tracheostomy

Images

Cricoid cartilage

Emergency airway puncture

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Emergency airway puncture Risks

Review Date: 07/19/2009
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. 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)