Advances and stagnation in airway surgery: A historical perspective

Abstract

Airway pathology is a complex and incompletely mastered field. Historically, its management was rudimentary, with tracheostomies performed in ancient Egypt, and progress remained stagnant for millennia. Significant advances began in the late 19^th century, followed by notable surgical and anesthetic progress in the mid-20^th century. The 1952 polio epidemic spurred further development, with tracheal resection and anastomosis as the first major milestone, later extending to the larynx and carina. All significant advances in airway surgery ended in the latter half of the 20^th century, with minimal progress since. This article analyzes its atypical evolution of an initial step that awaited millennia for subsequent advances, only to halt again in recent times.