title: Simple palliative mediastinal tracheostomy.
abstract: We describe a simple palliative mediastinal tracheostomy procedure in 3 patients with respiratory deficiency resulting from cervical tracheal stenosis caused by unresectable advanced tumors. A hole in the "apron" skin flap was anastomosed to the tracheostomy in the unaffected upper mediastinal trachea after partial resection of the manubrium and clavicle head. Simple palliative mediastinal tracheostomy helps to improve performance status by relieving respiratory deficiency or prolonged oroendotracheal intubation in patients with cervical tracheal stenosis caused by advanced tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shimane Prefectural Central Hospital, Shimane, Japan. yyama@spch.izumo.shimane.jp
authors.forename: Yasumichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyazaki
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kosaka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001999:Bronchoscopy / Q000379:methods; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000601:surgery*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D056888:Patient Positioning; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply; D015996:Survival Rate; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000379:methods*