Blunt Soft Tissue Neck Trauma

Blunt neck trauma is a rare event, accounting for only 5-10% of all trauma to the neck. It occurs most commonly following motor vehicle accidents, although clothesline mechanisms and strangulation can also cause blunt injury to the aerodigestive tract and cervical vasculature. The most common mechanism for blunt neck trauma, motor vehicle accidents, typically occurs due to impact with the steering column or dashboard. Blunt trauma patients in extremis with obvious airway compromise should be emergently intubated with a well-thought-out rescue plan in case direct or video laryngoscopy is unsuccessful. Patients with blunt neck trauma can have airway, vascular, and esophageal injuries. While esophageal injuries are extremely rare and airway injuries are typically apparent or easily evaluated by direct visualization in patients stable enough for bronchoscopy, the evaluation of blunt cerebrovascular injury is much more controversial.