tracheotomy
- noun
- /trəˈkiːəˌtɑːmi/
- Specialized
- In a critical situation, the paramedic performed a tracheotomy to help the patient breathe.
- tracheotomy tube
- undergo a tracheotomy
- perform a tracheotomy
Examples
-
I'm going to perform an emergency tracheotomy.
-
Five patients ultimately required a tracheotomy during therapy, four of them on an emergency basis.
Academic text (1999) -
In our opinion, tracheotomy should be carried out only in cases of extreme necessity.
Academic text (2004) -
Later that month, the patient underwent a tracheotomy in another community.
Academic text (2006) -
Immediately following surgery, six patients required tracheotomy to relieve glottic edema and acute respiratory failure.
Academic text (2004) -
Some adults experience hoarseness, dyspnea, and even an acute airway obstruction that may require tracheotomy.
Academic text (1998) -
Within 24 hours, his airway became compromised, and he underwent an awake tracheotomy and biopsy, which showed a lymphovenous malformation.
Academic text (2008) -
During the surgery, the doctors decided to make a tracheotomy to ensure the airway remained clear.
-
The patient was stable after the tracheotomy, allowing air to flow directly to the lungs.
Synonyms
A tube placed in the neck to help a person breathe
An opening made in the windpipe through the neck, usually with a tube to help breathing
How Invasive
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
tracheotomy = trachea (semi-transparent) = tracheo + tomy
Formed from the combining form 'tracheo-' (relating to the trachea) + the surgical suffix '-tomy' (cutting into); the medical combining forms are technical and may not be familiar to B1 learners.
Etymology
Tracheotomy comes from Greek parts: trachea meaning 'windpipe' and -tomy meaning 'cutting', the same -tomy you see in appendectomy. So a tracheotomy is a 'cut' into the 'windpipe' to let air reach the lungs.