A Pathway to Optimise Performing an Emergency Tracheostomy in Patients Failing Endotracheal Intubation
Wendy Smith
Kettering General Hospital, NHS Trust, United Kingdom.
Hemanth Kowdley Subrahmanyam *
Kettering General Hospital, NHS Trust, United Kingdom.
Phil Watts
Kettering General Hospital, NHS Trust, United Kingdom.
James Sheldon
Leicester Medical School, United Kingdom.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Emergency tracheostomy is a timely life saving procedure bringing to the fore the expert skills of the difficult airway team comprising the otolaryngologist, anaesthesiologist and theatre team or emergency department staff. Adequate advanced planning has to be adopted in these situations for achieving a good outcome. We present our optimal pathway practiced within our team to achieve successful outcomes during emergency tracheostomies starting from planning to the use of pressure bag in cases of failed intubations.
Keywords: Tracheostomy, pressure bag.