hazards
Last reviewed 01/2018
A tracheostomy has important hazards, mainly haemorrhage as a result of failure to appreciate variable regional anatomy inferior to the thyroid gland:
- inferior thyroid veins: form plexus anterior to the trachea and descend inferiorly
- thyroid ima artery: present in 10% of population and ascends to the inferior margin of thyroid isthums on anterior surface of trachea
- children:
- superiorly-lying structures:
- vessels: left brachiocephalic vein and confluence of veins can lie anterior to trachea within the root of the neck
- thymus: covers a similar region before it regresses
- trachea has a weak wall and is mobile; this makes the posteriorly-positioned oesophagus prone to damage when incising