title: Airway management, penetrating neck trauma.
abstract: This study was performed to determine whether clinical presentation can accurately predict which victims of penetrating neck trauma require urgent airway management. An 8-year retrospective review of all patients with a diagnosis of penetrating neck trauma seen in the emergency department of an urban teaching hospital was conducted. Of the 114 patients reviewed, 69 (60%) were intubated at some point in their hospital course. Twenty-six (23%) met our predetermined criteria for urgent airway control; 25 of these patients were intubated in the emergency department. Forty-three patients (38%) did not meet the criteria and were electively intubated either in the operating room or in the emergency department. Forty-five patients (39%) were never intubated. None of the patients in this series developed complications as a result of their airway management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Eggen
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Jorden
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019838:Neck Injuries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000628:therapy*