What is a Tracheotomy?
A tracheotomy is a procedure to introduce a breathing tube through the skin of the neck into the windpipe. It is performed in children with significant blockages of the airway in the voicebox or upper windpipe. This typically occurs in newborns with scarring of the airway from long term intubation. Other children may require a tracheotomy for airway control after severe trauma or during treatment of a tumor. Tracheotomy is often performed in children staying in the pediatric intensive care unit. The procedure is performed in the operating room under general anesthesia, and is often done in conjuction with a formal airway evaluation of the voicebox and windpipe (microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy). All children receiving a tracheotomy stay in the pediatric intensive care unit until the tube is changed for the first time. A tracheotomy is not meant to be a permanent entitiy. It is used to be bridge to a later date when the child has either outgrown the problem or grown enough to tolerate
