Category
Emergency Airway Rescue
Typical Use
Establish emergency surgical airway when intubation is impossible.
Description
A compact sterile kit containing instruments such as a scalpel, tracheal hook, dilator, and tracheostomy tube or cannula designed for rapid creation of a surgical airway through the cricothyroid membrane in life threatening airway obstruction when noninvasive methods fail. Cricothyrotomy is a temporizing measure requiring prompt recognition, decisive technique, and subsequent definitive airway management; providers must be trained to perform the procedure and to manage complications including bleeding, subglottic injury, and infection. Postprocedure care includes securing the airway, ventilatory support, and timely conversion to a formal tracheostomy when appropriate.