Tracheal tubes may become clogged in the postoperative period for a variety of reasons, including: tube misplacement or poor sizing; thickening and inspissation of mucus in the lumen of the tube; and presence of blood or clots in the tube. Foreign bodies introduced into a tracheal tube may lodge relatively easily, because of its rigidity, and the acute angle of the lumen. Typically, patients are immediately cognizant that a foreign body is in the tracheal tube. One of the most feared complications in a patient with a tracheal tube is that the tube is inadvertently removed before the tract has sufficiently matured. Hemorrhage may occur intraoperatively or immediately postoperatively related to lacerated vessels, or to oozing from a coagulopathic state. In recent years, percutaneous dilational tracheotomy (PDT) has been performed with increasing frequency in intensive care unit patients.