Percutaneous dilational tracheostomy after anterior cervical spine fixation.

After spinal cord injury, quadriplegic patients generally require tracheostomy for ventilatory support and airway clearance. Early tracheostomy has several advantages over translaryngeal intubation, but in patients who undergo anterior surgical fixation of the spine, it is often delayed until after recovery of the surgical wound. We report the case of a quadriplegic patient who underwent a successful percutaneous dilational tracheostomy with the Ciaglia technique after surgical fixation of the spine. The percutaneous dilational technique minimizes the injury to the adjacent structures of the neck and the risk of stomal infection. Therefore, it should be considered the technique of choice when an early tracheostomy is indicated for quadriplegic patients who have undergone anterior surgical fixation of the cervical spine.