Cricotracheal separation: do not get fooled by what you see

Combined tracheoesophageal transection following a life-threatening clothesline-type blunt neck trauma: A case report

“…Clothesline types of injuries are a category of blunt neck trauma, that occur when someone strikes a horizontal rope or cable, while riding a motorcycle, waterskiing, and while running. These types of blunt injuries are the principal reasons for cricotracheal separation and further recurrent laryngeal or esophageal injuries, and need to be managed instantly to prevent respiratory distress [ [9] , [10] , [11] ].…”

“…After assuring a secure airway and maintaining the patient's oxygenation, the patient should undergo a complete trauma assessment to examine the intensity of airway injury and assess any simultaneous injuries to other organs. The most common organ that can be injured in tracheobronchial injuries is the esophagus, and there is also a probability of up to 60 % concurrent recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, particularly when the cricoid cartilage is fractured and the trachea is transected [ 6 , 7 , 9 ].…”