Philadelphia Tracheotomy Collar

Philadelphia collar is a common rigid brace that used to prevent head and neck movement after a cervical spinal column injury. It supports your neck muscles and gives your cervical spinal column and ligaments time to heal. Whenever people have a traumatic head or neck injury, they may have a cervical fracture. This makes them at high risk for spinal cord injury, which could be exacerbated by movement of the person and could lead to paralysis or death. The collar is made of hard plastic, with Velcro straps to keep it closed. The front piece has a chin cup. The back piece is curved and fits against the lower part of your head. It is also used by emergency personnel for those who have had traumatic head or neck injuries [6]. The upper portion of the Philadelphia collar supports the lower jaw and the brace extends down to cover the upper thoracic spine. This collar covers more area than a soft or hard collar, so it puts greater restrictions on your range of motion and the most stability and cervical immobilization. The unique trachea opening allows healthcare professionals the ability to quickly perform carotid pulse monitoring and emergency tracheotomies while providing cervical immobilization