Complications of percutaneous transtracheal procedures.

The increasing use of transtracheal procedures by various specialties has caused a rash of new complications which have interested the endoscopist. These complications have resulted from the many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures involving the percutaneous puncture of the laryngeal or tracheal air space. The validity of these procedures is not questioned. However, they have spawned a host of diverse and bizarre complications which have led to serious and even fatal problems. The role of the endoscopist as a consultant in both the diagnosis and therapy of these developments must be understood and stressed.