title: Cricotracheal separation after gunshot to the neck: report of a survivor with recovery of bilateral vocal fold function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traumatic tracheal injury via blunt or penetrating mechanism comes with a grave prognosis. Cricotracheal separation is a rare entity among these injuries and even more infrequent by means of penetrating trauma. Resultant airway discontinuity subsequent to these insults causes immense global hypoxia and tends to be uniformly fatal.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to discuss emergent and surgical management of traumatic airway injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a 28-year-old male who sustained a gunshot wound to the neck resulting in laryngeal fracture and cricotracheal separation. We review the initial stabilization of his airway and detail the successive surgical management of his injury in the context of the current available literature, with an emphasis on timely airway stabilization when high suspicion for cricotracheal separation exists based on traumatic mechanism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergent management and stabilization of the airway is critical to survival in the context of trauma involving the neck and airway structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Vivero
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: Reginald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saint-Hilaire
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: Rita G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Bhatia
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida.
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leibowitz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003413:Cricoid Cartilage / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019838:Neck Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D014132:Trachea / Q000293:injuries*; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000293:injuries*; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000150:complications*
keywords: injuries; neck injury; penetrating; separation; trachea; trauma; vocal folds