Word parts
What it means
The operation of cutting into the tracheaTRAY-kee-uhThe windpipe: the tube that carries air from the throat to the lungs.Full entry . It can be planned, or done in an emergency when the upper airway is blocked. Once a tube is placed and the opening is kept, the result is called a tracheostomytray-kee-OS-tuh-meeA surgical opening through the front of the neck into the windpipe, usually holding a tube that the person breathes through.trache/o windpipe-stomy surgical openingFull entry . Many people use the two words as if they meant the same thing.
For the nurse
After the procedure, watch for bleeding, air under the skin (crackling when the neck is touched) and trouble breathing, and keep emergency airway equipment at the bedside.
Remember it
-tomy is the cut; -stomy is the opening that stays.
At a glance
| Spanish | traqueotomía |
|---|---|
| Also written | tracheotomies |
Easy to confuse with
tracheostomy
A surgical opening through the front of the neck into the windpipe, usually holding a tube that the person breathes through.
Related terms
trachea
The windpipe: the tube that carries air from the throat to the lungs.
airway
The passages that carry air into and out of the lungs, from the nose and mouth to the smallest air tubes.
tracheostomy
A surgical opening through the front of the neck into the windpipe, usually holding a tube that the person breathes through.