Emergency cricothyrotomy

Introduction: In patients with difficult airway with ventilation failure and intubation impossible, cricothyrotomy should be performed. Cricothyrotomy is the fastest procedure access to the airway.Objective: To present a decision algorithm.Material and methods: Literature review.Comments: We describe the surgical cricothyrotomy technique (incisional) and our decision algorithm we use in patients with obstruction of the airway with ventilation - intubation impossible.Conclusions: We recommend surgical cricothyrotomy (incisional) as the first option because it needs a few elements available in any hospital unit (scalpel No. 21-22 and endotracheal tube 4.5-5mm) and only takes a few seconds in 4 steps.