Surgical Cricothyrotomy

Brief animation demonstrating emergency surgical cricothyrotomy; created with Lightwave 9.3

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Medicine
• Lightwave
• 3D
• Animation

[bronco1971]

A cricothyrotomy is an emergency procedure for a failed airway. Cosmetics is of zero concern. Also, a veritical incision allows you to extend it either up or down should you be off the mark. If you make a horizontal incision and are too cephalad or caudad, then you have make ANOTHER incision. Not good. S

[laurisa1988]

oh my good god! much respect to our doctors because i couldn't do that.

[vickiormindyb]

@bronco1971 You don't have the same kind of patients we have. I've seen people come back and complain to us that we made a scar on their skin when we use the defibrillator to bring them back.

That leaves a scar too, but you can barely see it. I had to look really hard to find it.

[vickiormindyb]

Our Chief Medical Director refuses to let paramedics do open cricothyrotomies in the field, even though you're getting more oxygen during an open cricothyrotomy.

But he's ultimately responsible if anything goes wrong so I guess it's up to him if he wants us to do it.

[louistov]

Oh seems easy enough.

[mccandless1]

Did he died.

[TheHabbo210]

I wish that everytime i performed this procedure, that it would be this tidy. Normally, there is blood every-where.

[rgml1957]

@loo85 so you'd rather the patient die of hypoxia?? Or are you advocating a tracheostomy instead, be more specific. This is a life saving procedure, what is your preferred technique for a hypoxic patient who cannot be intubated or ventilated by conventional means?

[g4bandit]

@mariesadler its hard to fight it when your unconcious fromlack of oxygen

[mariesadler]

Omg. Are the people who need this done fully conscious and can feel that going on? I'd panic if I saw a parmedic coming at me with a scapel for my throat and out of terror fight it. O.O

[vickiormindyb]

I had to have one of these but they never made the incision, they used a needle instead. The medicine they kept giving me-that made me shake like a leaf for days-finally started working, so they never made the incision.

I just don't understand how having a giant needle poked into my neck didn't instantly awaken me.

My throat was sore for 18 hours after they removed the failed intubation tube. It worked at first then the swelling sealed my throat closed.