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General anesthesia is used and the patient is deep asleep and pain-free. The neck is cleaned and draped. Incisions are made to expose the tough cartilage rings that make up the outer wall of the trachea.
Review Date 1/1/2025
Updated by: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
