ABSTRACT

Acute upper airway obstruction is an emergency that can lead to death in minutes. Therefore, early intervention is required using either a tracheotomy or cricothyrotomy. A tracheotomy provides an airway by opening a window on the anterior surface of the trachea. A cricothyrotomy is an emergency procedure that can be performed outside a hospital. We present a patient with acute upper airway obstruction who attempted to perform a tracheotomy on himself. The patient was admitted to hospital with stridor and bleeding caused by a sharp instrument. We learned that the patient had cut himself whilst attempting to provide an airway by performing a tracheotomy. He was taken to the operating room where a tracheotomy was performed and the bleeding was controlled by ligating the anterior jugular vein. He was diagnosed with acute epiglottitis and treatment was begun. A tracheotomy should be performed by trained healthcare professionals.