Management of the upper airway in severe cut-throat injuries.

Four patients treated for cut-throat injuries are the subjects of this paper. Two were self-inflicted suicide attempts while one each was for ritual killing and over disputed farmland. Tracheostomy was deplored at the early period in all cases to ensure safe and patent airway. Significant laryngo-tracheal stenosis was a long-term morbidity suffered by two of the patients. Management of the airway in the early and late periods following the cut-throat injuries is discussed.