er (M) and the
thumb are used to repress the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscles, the
finger and thumb being close to the trachea in order to press backward
out of the way the carotid arteries and the jugular vein. This throws
the trachea forward into prominence, and one deep slashing cut will
incise all of the soft tissues down to the trachea.]

_Emergency Tracheotomy_.--Stabbing of the cricothyroid membrane, or an
attempted stabbing of the trachea, so long taught as an emergency
tracheotomy, is a mistake. The author's "two stage, finger guided"
method is safer, quicker, more efficient, and not likely to be
followed by stenosis. To execute this promptly, the operator is
required to forget his textbook anatomy and memorize the schema (Fig.
105). The larynx and trachea are steadied by the thumb and middle
finger of the left hand, which at the same time push back the
important nerves and vessels which parallel the trachea, and render
the central safety line more prominent (Fig. 106). A long incision is
now made from the thyroid notch almost to the suprasternal notch, and
deep enough to reach the trachea. This completes the first stage.

[FIG. 107.--Illustrating the author's method of quick tracheotomy.
Second stage. The fingers are drawn ungloved for the sake of
clearness. In operating the whole wound is full of blood, and the
rings of the trachea are felt with the left index which is then moved
slightly to the patient's left, while the knife is slid down along the
left index to exactly the middle line when the trachea is incised.]

Second stage. The entire wound is full of blood and the trachea cannot
be seen, but its corrugations can be very readily felt by the tip of
the free left index finger. The left index finger is now moved a
little to the patient's left in order that the knife shall come
precisely in the midline of the trachea, and three rings of the
trachea are divided from above downward (Fig. 107). The Trousseau
dilator should now be inserted, the head of the table should be
lowered, and the patient should be turned on the side to allow the
blood to run away from the wound. If respiration has ceased, a cannula
is slipped in, and artificial respiration is begun. Oxygen
insufflation will aid in the restoration of respiration, and a pearl
of amyl nitrite should be crushed in gauze and blown in with the
oxygen. In all such cases, excessive pressure of oxygen should be
avoided because of the danger of producing ischem