Also called: Windpipe disorders
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Tracheal Disorders
Your trachea, or windpipe, is one part of your airway system. Airways are pipes that carry oxygen-rich air to your lungs. They also carry carbon dioxide, a waste gas, out of your lungs.
When you inhale, air travels from your nose, through your larynx, and down your windpipe. The windpipe splits into two bronchi that enter your lungs.
Problems with the trachea include narrowing, inflammation, and some inherited conditions. You may need a procedure called a tracheostomy to help you breathe if you have swallowing problems, or have conditions that affect coughing or block your airways. You might also need a tracheostomy if you are in critical care and need to be on a breathing machine.
It sits within Lungs and Breathing.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Tracheal Disorders
335 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Efficacy and Safety of HRS-9190 in General AnesthesiaThe Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University
- Safety and Efficacy of FETO in CDH: A Phase III TrialHolly L Hedrick, MD
- Trcheal High-flow for Weaning From Mechanical VentilationFondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS
- Voice Quality Analysis of Patients With Laryngotracheal StenosisJohns Hopkins University
- Hyperangulated Versus Standard Geometry Laryngoscope Blade TrialVanderbilt University Medical Center
- Camera-based Endoscopy Allows Spontaneous Breathing Diagnostic Management in Neonates With Tracheoesophageal FistulaPapa Giovanni XXIII Hospital
Research already completed
- Does Tracheal Suction During Extubation in Intensive Care Unit Decrease Functional Residual CapacityUniversity Hospital, Rouen
- Fetal Endoscopic Tracheal Occlusion (FETO) Trial for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)Dr Erin Perrone
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Larynx and TracheaNational Cancer Institute
Diagnosis and Tests
- Bronchoscopy and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL)National Library of Medicine
- Tests for Lung DiseaseNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- X-Ray Exam: Neck (For Parents)Nemours Foundation
Treatments and Therapies
- Tracheostomy - series -- Normal anatomyMedical Encyclopedia
Living With
- Choking: First AidMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Living with an OstomyAmerican Cancer Society
Related Issues
- Vocal Fold ParalysisNational Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Tracheal DiseasesNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Tracheal Diseases. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Tracheal Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.