EMCrit 131 – Cricothyrotomy – Cut to Air: Emergency Surgical Airway

• Stand on the patient’s right side if right side dominant, patient’s left side if left side dominant.
• Grab trachea from above with non-dominant hand, using index finger to find cric membrane.

• Cut with dominant hand

• First cut is 3 cm vertical cut

• Second cut is horizontal and is 2 cuts, cut one way and then reverse and cut in the other direction.

• Stick finger in the hole, confirm you can feel the cartilaginous back of the trachea and slide bougie down past the finger.