Tracheostomy: An anatomico‐clinical review

Tracheostomy surgery may be accompanied by complications that lead to morbidity and mortality. The incidence of these complications is not inconsiderable, as documented by case reports that continue to appear annually. Most complications are based on failure to appreciate the anatomic relationships of the area. In an operation that often falls to the lot of the junior surgeon and that deals with normal anatomic structures, it is disappointing to find that the surgeon gets little help when consulting clinical anatomic texts. Infact, the advice given may be erroneous, indefinite, or even misleading. It is strongly urged that a tracheostomy education program be instituted at the clinical anatomic level.