Surgically assisted percutaneous tracheostomy - For the COVID19 Environment.

Invasive procedures involving the upper respiratory tract are high risk for generating aerosol particles – so-called Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGPs). Common examples of this include anaesthetic related procedures (eg intubation) and surgicalprocedures (tracheostomy). In the COVID-19 environment whilst all intubation is considered an AGP, fibre optic intubation isparticularly high-risk and is therefore generally contraindicated. In patients with potential airway obstruction, a surgical airway may be required if intubation using conventional technique is not possible. We present a method of performing this which is simple, safe and reliable.