How to Get Care. You can ask for a referral from your primary care doctor, your mental health care provider, or your health plan. In some plans, you may be able to make an appointment directly with a mental health care provider.
Patients with bigger defects or who have failed other types of surgery may be eligible for allograft transplants of donor bone and cartilage (Figure 3). In this method, cartilage defects are treated with tissue that is donated for transplantation, much like a liver or heart transplant.
A tracheostomy is a surgical procedure to cut an opening into the trachea (windpipe) so that a tube can be inserted into the opening to assist breathing. A tracheostomy may be temporary or permanent, depending on the reason for its use. For example, if the tracheostomy tube is inserted to bypass a trachea that is blocked by blood or swelling, it will be removed once regular breathing is once again possible.