• J Emerg Med · Feb 2012

    Case Reports

    A significant cervical spine fracture: think of the airway.

    • Paula Cleiman, Joe Nemeth, and Phyllis Vetere.
    • Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
    • J Emerg Med. 2012 Feb 1;42(2):e23-5.

    BackgroundAirway compromise is a potential complication of significant cervical spine injury.ObjectivesTo alert emergency physicians to be aware of possible airway collapse after serious cervical spine injury.Case ReportWe report a case of an 87-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with an unstable cervical spine fracture after a fall. He subsequently developed complete upper airway obstruction from prevertebral soft tissue swelling, requiring a cricothyrotomy after a failed intubation attempt.ConclusionPatients with significant blunt cervical spine trauma can be at high risk for upper airway compromise.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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