The invention of positive-pressure ventilators and the growth of ICUs have
improved our ability to keep critically ill and mechanically ventilated patients
alive longer, and as a result, prolonged ventilatory assistance has become more
and more common. In recent years, there has been a shift away from
translaryngeal intubation in favour of tracheostomy for better long-term airway
access in patients who require prolonged ventilatory support. This well
illustrated, practical text provides the newcomer to percutaneous tracheostomy
with a perfect introduction to this increasingly widely used technique. It
provides an overview of the history of the technique, the basic anatomy of
relevance to the user, and the indications and