Table 1 Materials and procedure steps of the traditional surgical cricothyrotomy technique

Materials:

Scalpel with No. 11 blade, Trousseau dilator, curved hemostat, tracheal hook, and No. 5 tracheostomy tube

Steps:

1. Standing next to the patient, stabilize the larynx with thumb and index finger of the non-dominant hand and identify the cricothyroid membrane

2. Using a No. 11 blade, make a 2.5 cm midline incision over the cricothyroid membrane

3. Dissect through the subcutaneous tissue to the cricothyroid membrane using the curved hemostat

4. Make an incision into the trachea using the scalpel

5. Extend the incision laterally in both directions

6. Insert a tracheal hook on the caudal side of the larynx

7. Vertically open the membrane using a Trousseau dilator

8. Insert a No. 5 tracheostomy tube

9. Remove the inner cannula and insert the adapter