Tracheal Disorders

Summary

Your trachea, or windpipe, is one part of your airway system. Airways are pipes that carry oxygen-rich air to your lungs. They also carry carbon dioxide, a waste gas, out of your lungs.

When you inhale, air travels from your nose, through your larynx, and down your windpipe. The windpipe splits into two bronchi that enter your lungs.

Problems with the trachea include narrowing, inflammation, and some inherited conditions. You may need a procedure called a tracheostomy to help you breathe if you have swallowing problems, or have conditions that affect coughing or block your airways. You might also need a tracheostomy if you are in critical care and need to be on a breathing machine.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Specifics

• Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma American Society of Clinical Oncology

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association American Lung Association
• Find an ENT American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• Bacterial Tracheitis Merck & Co., Inc.
• Croup: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
• Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula American Academy of Family Physicians
• Tracheoesophageal fistula repair – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheostomy (For Parents) Nemours Foundation

Patient Handouts

• Blockage of upper airway Medical Encyclopedia
• Swallowing problems Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheitis Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia repair Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheomalacia – acquired Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheomalacia – congenital Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheostomy Medical Encyclopedia

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bronchoscopy and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) National Library of Medicine
• Tests for Lung Disease National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• X-Ray Exam: Neck Nemours Foundation

Living With

• Choking: First Aid Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Living with an Ostomy American Cancer Society

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Tracheal Diseases National Institutes of Health

Encyclopedia

• Endotracheal intubation Medical Encyclopedia
• Learning about ventilators Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheal rupture Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheostomy care Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheostomy tube – eating Medical Encyclopedia
• Tracheostomy tube – speaking Medical Encyclopedia

Start Here

• Larynx & Trachea National Cancer Institute

Journal Articles

• Tracheal Disorders

Treatments and Therapies

• Tracheostomy – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia

Related Issues

• Vocal Fold Paralysis National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders