title: Tracheal exposure: Anticipatory management of the difficult airway.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  When a patient cannot be intubated or ventilated, cricothyrotomy is indicated. Risks associated with emergent cricothyrotomy are significant, and this procedure typically requires revision. Additional options for establishing an emergent airway are limited. Thus, elective tracheotomy to ensure a safe airway after procedures involving the upper aerodigestive tract is common. Although safe and effective overall, this procedure is not without additional risks, added resources, complex cares, and extended hospitalizations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a case in which exposure of the anterior trachea was performed without tracheotomy in a patient with a high-risk airway undergoing an open partial laryngectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient did not develop respiratory distress postoperatively and was able to avoid a tracheostomy and its associated cares.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pretracheotomy with tracheal exposure simplifies emergent surgical access to the airway. We believe tracheal exposure in the appropriately selected patient is a safe and cost-effective alternative to elective tracheotomy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E2446-E2448, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Britt
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Marc R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Rohrbach
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Timothy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: McCulloch
keywords: airway; cricothyrotomy; emergency; intubation; tracheotomy