Tracheotomy

Tracheotomy and tracheostomy is a surgery on the neck to open a direct path by cutting a hole in the trachea (windpipe). They are performed by paramedics, veterinarians, emergency physicians, and surgeons. Both surgical and percutaneous techniques are now widely used.

Completed tracheotomy:
1 - Vocal cords
2 - Thyroid cartilage
3 - Cricoid cartilage
4 - Tracheal cartilages
5 - Balloon cuff

Tracheostomy was written about in ancient Egyptian tablets,^[1] but, in the 12th century, Ibn Zuhr described the first correct tracheotomy operation for people who were suffocating (could not breathe).^[2] The current tracheostomy was described in 1909 by Chevalier Jackson, an American doctor.