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We provide a comprehensive continuum of cancer services, including prevention, outreach, diagnostic, treatment and support services delivered by our highly skilled staff with compassion and care.
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The Center for Women & Children's Health is a hub for supporting women's and children's individual healthcare needs. The center provides support, research and unmatched patient-centered care.
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Emergency and Trauma Services is the only Level I Trauma Center in the area and serves as the tertiary referral center for medical care in East Tennessee, serving Knox County and 21 surrounding counties.
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The Heart Lung Vascular Institute brings together expertise in clinical care, teaching and research. Patients receive exceptional healthcare combined with patient-centered care.
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Emergency airway puncture - series
Normal anatomy
The larynx is a tubular structure in the neck, through which air passes to the lungs. The thryoid and cricoid cartilage form the narrowest section of this airway.
Indications
The area of the larynx bounded by the thyroid and cricoid cartilage is a frequent site for obstruction, either by swallowed foreign bodies or abnormal tissue growths. A cricothyrotomy is an emergency procedure that relieves an airway obstruction until formal surgical placement of a breathing tube (tracheostomy) is performed.
Incision
If the situation is acute, a hollow needle is inserted into the throat, just below the Adam's apple (thyroid cartilage). This is called a needle cricothyrotomy. More frequently, a small incision is made in the skin over the cricothyroid membrane, and another incision is made through the membrane between the cricoid and thyroid cartilage.
Procedure
A tube that enables breathing is inserted through the incision.
Aftercare
Cricothyrotomy is generally followed by a surgical tracheosotomy, if there is need for a prolonged use of a breathing tube. Removal of breathing tubes from both a cricothyrotomy and tracheostomy is usually followed by prompt healing of the incision site.
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