cricothyrotomy /krī′kōthīrot″əmē/ [Gk, krikos + thyreos, shield, eidos, form, temnein, to cut] , an emergency incision into the larynx, performed to open the airway in a person who is choking. A small vertical midline cut is made just below the thyroid cartilage and above the cricoid cartilage. The incision is opened farther with a transverse cut through the cricothyroid membrane, and the wound is spread open with a knife handle or other dilator. The new opening must be held open with a tracheostomy tube that is open at both ends to allow air to move in and out. Also called cricothyroidotomy. Compare tracheostomy.
