Why it's used

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

Breathing problems

A tracheostomy can deliver oxygen to the lungs if you cannot breathe 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 1 or more muscles (paralysis) after a serious spinal cord injury
a condition that damages the lungs, such as pneumonia or cystic fibrosis
a condition that damages the nervous system, such as motor neurone disease or Guillain-Barré syndrome

Sometimes, 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 for more than a few days.

A tracheostomy can also be used to bypass an airway that's 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 that cause their airways to be abnormally narrow may need a tracheostomy to help them breathe.

A tracheostomy may be carried out to remove fluid that's built up in the airways.

This may be needed if:

you're unable to cough properly because of long-term pain, muscle weakness or paralysis
you have a serious lung infection, such as pneumonia, that's caused your lungs to become clogged with fluid
your airways or lungs have filled with blood as a result of an injury

Page last reviewed: Sat Dec 2022 Next review due: Wed Feb 2020