I primarily deal with patients on mechanical ventilation. In order to benefit from these small portable devices, the patient must undergo a tracheotomy--an opertation that produces a tracheostomy. Apparently this woman chose not to do so and lived in an iron lung for decades...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/28/iron.lung.death.ap/ind...tml?iref=mpstoryview
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