What Is a Tracheostomy?
9. Obstruction
Most people have, at some point, choked on something that they have eaten. The vast majority of the time, the food will simply be coughed up, clearing the airways, but this is not always the case. If food or anything else is able to block the passage of air to the windpipe then the patient can be in a lot of trouble.
If the blockage cannot be immediately cleared then it may be necessary to turn to more drastic measures. This might mean a tracheostomy is needed in order to help bypass the blockage to allow air to get into the windpipe.
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