Emergency percutaneous tracheostomy in a severely burned patient with upper airway obstruction and circulatory failure.

Airway inaccessibility is one of the most dreaded situations in emergency medicine. Surgical tracheostomy is not indicated in emergency situations because it takes a long time and can result in death if respiratory support cannot be provided during the procedure. Emergency percutaneous tracheostomy (PCT) was widely regarded as absolutely counterindicated. Recently, however, a number of studies have appeared on the safety and feasibility of PCT in situations regarded as presenting relative contraindications. We describe the life-saving action of Griggs' PCT in a patient with upper airway obstruction resulting from burns, smoke injuries, and unsuccessful tracheal intubation attempts. Emergency PCT using the Griggs technique was immediately performed without aseptic care, and a 9-mm internal diameter tracheostomy tube was successfully inserted in less than one minute. Griggs' PCT is a quick technique that secures an airway when tracheal intubation fails. The feasibility - in selected cases - of using an emergency Griggs' PCT, in experienced hands, rather than cricothyroidotomy or surgical tracheostomy, is recommended.