Introduction: Tracheotomy is the temporary or permanent surgical opening of the cervical trachea followed by the placement of a cannula. Objective : to recall the indications, techniques and complications of emergency tracheotomy. Materials and method : This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted in the ENT and CCF department of HIAOBO, involving 67 medical records of hospitalized patients in whom a tracheostomy was performed in emergency from January 2010. to December 2019. Results : The study involved 51 men (76%) and 16 women (24%), a ratio of 3.18 . The average age was 45.85 years with extremes of 5 and 78 years. Laryngeal dyspnea was the reason for consultation in 86.57% of cases. The indications were malignant tumors of the upper aero-digestive tract in 54% of cases, difficult extubation in intensive care patients in 12% of cases, laryngeal papillomatosis in 12% of cases, inflammatory pathology in 7 cases, traumatic pathology 4 cases, extrinsic tracheal compression, muscle disease and laryngo -tracheal stenosis in 1 case each. Tracheotomy was performed under general anesthesia in 73% of cases and under local anesthesia in 27% of cases. Complications were observed in (16.42%). Conclusion : Emergency tracheotomy is a survival gesture. Mastery of the technique, the right choice of equipment, perfect knowledge of the anatomical relationships of the trachea, and postoperative care help to minimize complications.