Bronchostomies

/brɑŋˈkɑstəmiz/ noun

Definition

The plural of bronchostomy; surgical procedures where doctors create an opening directly into the bronchial tubes (the main airways of the lungs) to help a person breathe.

Etymology

From 'bronchos' (windpipe) + '-stomy' (surgical opening). The '-stomy' suffix comes from Greek and has been used since the 1700s for procedures creating artificial openings.

Kelly Says

Medical '-stomy' procedures are like creating emergency exits for your body—colostomy, tracheostomy, bronchostomy—when normal passages don't work, doctors literally cut a new route.

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