Surgical airway procedures in emergency surgical patients: Results of what has become a back-up procedure.

No major procedure-related complications or functional adverse events were encountered following cricothyroidotomy and surgical tracheostomy, even though only complex patients were included. Only mild, self-limiting functional problems occurred, especially in trauma patients with cervical injury who underwent early tracheostomy by longitudinal incision. This information can aid clinicians in making tailor-made decisions for individual patients.