Tracheotomy
| Tracheotomy | |
|---|---|
Completed tracheotomy: 1 – Vocal folds | |
| ICD-10-PCS | 0B110F4 |
| ICD-9-CM | 31.1 |
| MeSH | D014140 |
| MedlinePlus | 002955 |
Tracheotomy (/ˌtreɪkiˈɒtəmi/, UK also /ˌtræki-/), or tracheostomy, is a surgical airway management procedure which consists of making an incision on the front of the neck to open a direct airway to the trachea. The resulting stoma (hole) can serve independently as an airway or as a site for a tracheal tube (or tracheostomy tube) to be inserted; this tube allows a person to breathe without the use of the nose or mouth.