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Receiving sedation while undergoing a diagnostic procedure (i.e. colonoscopy) or general anesthesia while undergoing surgery is challenging for neck breathers including laryngectomees.
Unfortunately, most medical personnel including nurses, medical technicians, surgeons and anesthesiologists caring for a laryngectomees before, during, and after surgery are not familiar with their unique anatomy, how they speak, and how to manage their airways. This lack of familiarity is because of the significant success of laryngeal conservation treatment that has in turn reduced the number of patients undergoing total laryngectomy. As a result many health providers have less contact than ever with laryngectomees. A manuscript explaining the special needs of laryngectomees and other neck breathers is available on this link.
Tracheotomy tube
