Why tracheostomy is needed

A tracheostomy is sometimes needed if you're unable to breathe normally because ofan underlying health condition or a blocked airway.

Breathing problems

A tracheostomy can deliver oxygen to the lungs if you can'tbreathe normally. This is known as respiratory failure.

Conditions that can lead to respiratory failure and the need for a tracheostomy include:

• being unconscious or in a Coma as a result of a severe head injury or stroke
• an inability to move one or more muscles (paralysis) after a seriousspinal cordinjury
• acondition that damages the lungs, such as pneumonia or cystic fibrosis
• acondition that damages the nervous system, such as motor neurone disease or Guillain-Barr syndrome

In some cases, a tube attached to an artificial breathing machine (ventilator) is inserted into the mouth and down the throat.

But this can be uncomfortable, so a tracheostomy may be carried out if you need help breathing formore than a few days.

Blockages

A tracheostomy canalso be used to bypass an airway that's become blocked as a result of:

• accidentally swallowing something that gets stuck in the windpipe (trachea)
• an injury, infection, burn or severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) that causes the throat to become swollen and narrowed
• swelling after head or neck surgery
• a cancerous tumour this can sometimes happen with mouth cancer , laryngeal cancer or thyroid gland cancer

In addition, some children born with birth defects thatcause their airways to be abnormally narrow may need a tracheostomy to help them breathe.

Removing fluid

It may be necessary to carry out a tracheostomy to remove fluid that's built up in the airways.

This may be needed if you:

• areunable to cough properlybecause ofchronic pain, muscle weakness or paralysis
• have a serious lung infection, such as pneumonia, that has caused your lungs to become clogged with fluid
• your airways or lungs have filled with blood as a result of an injury