tracheotomy

/ˈtreɪkiˌɑdəmi/

/treɪkiˈɒtəmi/

Other forms: tracheotomies

When someone can't breathe because their airway is blocked, a surgical procedure called a tracheotomy might be necessary, when a doctor makes an incision through their neck and into their windpipe.

The medical term tracheotomy comes from trachea, the anatomical name for "windpipe," and the suffix -tomy, from the Greek tomia, "a cutting." In simple terms, a tracheotomy is the cutting of someone's trachea. Emergency tracheotomies are commonly performed when a person has choked on an object that becomes wedged in their airway. A successful tracheotomy allows the person to breathe again, until the object can be removed.

Definitions of tracheotomy

1. noun

   a surgical operation that creates an opening into the trachea with a tube inserted to provide a passage for air; performed when the pharynx is obstructed by edema or cancer or other causes
   synonyms: tracheostomy

   type of:

   operation, surgery, surgical operation, surgical procedure, surgical process

   a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body