WHAT IS A TRACHEOSTOMY? WHEN IS IT PERFORMED FOR THE TREATMENT OF SLEEP APNEA?

As noted earlier, OSA can have significant impact on patients’ health and – in some cases – life-expectancy. In severe cases of OSA, extreme interventions may be required. In a tracheotomy, a surgical opening is made through the skin of the lower neck and directly into the trachea. A hole is cut into the trachea thereby bypassing the sites of obstruction higher up. While a tracheotomy is typically considered “curative” of OSA, it is an extreme measure with potentially severe complications, and is performed only in special circumstances.