In a patient with neck trauma and suspected fractured larynx, which findings may be present?

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Multiple Choice

In a patient with neck trauma and suspected fractured larynx, which findings may be present?

When the larynx is fractured from neck trauma, multiple parts of the airway and surrounding tissues can be affected, so signs reflecting obstruction, voice changes, and air leakage may all appear. Stridor arises from narrowed or obstructed air passages at the laryngeal level, often due to edema, hematoma, or displaced fracture fragments that roughen airflow. Hoarseness comes from injury to the vocal cords or irritation of the laryngeal mucosa, altering voice quality as the cords fail to vibrate normally. Subcutaneous emphysema occurs when air escapes from the injured airway into the soft tissues of the neck, producing palpable crepitus as air tracks into subcutaneous planes. Because these mechanisms can occur together in a fractured larynx, all of these findings may be present in a patient with neck trauma.

When the larynx is fractured from neck trauma, multiple parts of the airway and surrounding tissues can be affected, so signs reflecting obstruction, voice changes, and air leakage may all appear. Stridor arises from narrowed or obstructed air passages at the laryngeal level, often due to edema, hematoma, or displaced fracture fragments that roughen airflow. Hoarseness comes from injury to the vocal cords or irritation of the laryngeal mucosa, altering voice quality as the cords fail to vibrate normally. Subcutaneous emphysema occurs when air escapes from the injured airway into the soft tissues of the neck, producing palpable crepitus as air tracks into subcutaneous planes. Because these mechanisms can occur together in a fractured larynx, all of these findings may be present in a patient with neck trauma.

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