title: Emergency percutaneous tracheostomy in a severely burned patient with upper airway obstruction and circulatory arrest.
abstract: We report the life-saving use of Griggs percutaneous tracheostomy in an arrested patient with complex upper airway obstruction, as a result of burns, smoke injuries and iterative tracheal intubation attempts. The technique was performed blindly at bedside to treat an acute episode of failed ventilation and intubation and cardiac arrest in a patient with altered neck anatomy. The intervention salvaged the situation, leaving a definitive airway. The feasibility of using an emergency Griggs percutaneous tracheostomy versus cricothyroidotomy is suggested in selected cases.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Départemental Félix Guyon, Allée des Topazes, 97400 Saint Denis, Reunion Island, France. p-schlossmacher@chd-fguyon.fr
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schlossmacher
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Martinet
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Testud
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agesilas
authors.forename: Léon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benhamou
authors.forename: Bernard Alex
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Gauzëre
mesh_terms: D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D012769:Shock / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015208:Smoke Inhalation Injury / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome