The effects of cricoid cartilage injury and antibiotics in cricothyroidotomy.

Until recent years cricothyroidotomy has been condemned as an elective surgical procedure because of reports of a high incidence of subglottic stenosis. In this study of cricothyroidotomy the effects of trauma, denudation of the mucous membrane of the anterior half of the cricoid cartilage, and the prophylactic administration of antibiotics (ampicillin) on the development of subglotttic airway narrowing were evaluated in 40 mongrel dogs. Two of the dogs developed minimal anterior narrowing of the airway. None of the dogs developed clinically important stenosis.