Cricothyroid Approach for Emergency Access to the Airway

Airway emergencies are life-threatening events that face providers of many different backgrounds. In cannot-intubate-cannot-ventilate situations, emergent access to the airway can be obtained through the cricothyroid membrane by cricothyroidotomy. The 3 main techniques are open, percutaneous, and needle cricothyroidotomy. To date, there is no compelling evidence demonstrating superiority of a particular approach. Ultimately, the method used for cricothyroidotomy should be based on the comfort and experience of the provider performing the procedure.