A surgical incision made between the cricoid and thyroid cartilages, typically as an emergency airway procedure.
From 'cricothyroid' (relating to the cricoid and thyroid cartilages) plus '-tomy' (Greek tome, a cutting). This surgical term describes where the incision is made.
Cricothyrotomy is literally a lifesaving emergency procedure when a standard tracheotomy can't be done quickly enough—paramedics and trauma surgeons know this as a last resort for complete airway blockage.
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