LAUSR

As the COVID19 pandemic has swept across the globe, the dominant narrative about overwhelmed inpatient settings obscured a more nuanced crisis— the rising prevalence of occult airway injuries among survivors. Up to 90% of patients admitted to intensive care units undergo intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation, often requiring tracheostomy. Resulting devicerelated airway pressure injuries are disturbingly common, affecting over 50% of individuals. Endotracheal and tracheostomy tubes may cause a wide range of laryngotracheal injuries, from mucosal ulceration to destruction of cartilage or even transmural injury, causing stenosis— all with profound quality of life ramifications (Brodsky, Akst, et al., 2020; Brodsky et al., 2020). Nurses are uniquely positioned to expedite diagnosis and intervention, improving voice, swallowing and breathing.