{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.trachea","code":"thing-q175449","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q175449/","name":"trachea","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.LIV"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"In mammals the trachea is the unpaired fibro-cartilaginous conduit of the lower airway that runs from the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage to the carina, where it divides into the main bronchi, and is held patent by a stack of C-shaped hyaline rings completed posteriorly by the trachealis muscle and a membranous wall.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise a trachea, assess its continuity and functional condition, and identify which observations or interventions require further evidence or qualified review.","scope":{"in":["Identification of the trachea within a specified organism and anatomical context","Extent, branching boundary, regional geometry and wall support","Lumen patency, dynamic behaviour and contribution to airway continuity","Tracheal lining, secretions, tissue integrity and local abnormalities","Relationships with adjacent structures, airway devices and surgical alterations"],"out":["Laryngeal phonation and vocal-fold function","Bronchial-tree organisation beyond the tracheal boundary","Pulmonary gas exchange and whole-organism respiratory performance","Oesophageal swallowing and digestion","Device design, ventilator control and complete procedural protocols"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Trace its position in the airway: a trachea continues from the laryngeal region toward the primary bronchial pathway rather than arising as a downstream bronchus.","Distinguish it from the adjacent oesophagus by airway continuity and supporting wall architecture; contents or apparent openness alone are insufficient.","Distinguish it from the larynx by its position beyond the laryngeal apparatus and absence of the vocal-fold apparatus within its own extent.","Identify native or reconstructed organ tissue separately from any tube occupying or replacing part of the airway; the device lumen is not itself the trachea.","Confirm the organism and anatomical terminology before treating an invertebrate air-conducting tube as an instance of this vertebrate organ model."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"tracheal-identity-and-extent","name":"Tracheal identity and extent","description":"Establishes which airway structure is being modelled and where it begins and ends.","layers":[{"id":"organism-specific-recognition","name":"Organism-specific recognition","description":"Places the structure within the host organism's airway organisation.","findings":[{"id":"vertebrate-tracheal-identity","name":"Vertebrate tracheal identity","description":"Records the evidence identifying this structure as the trachea rather than a neighbouring conduit or device.","questions":[{"text":"Which organism, taxon and developmental stage does this trachea belong to?","id":"vertebrate-tracheal-identity-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which observed connections and wall features distinguish it from the larynx, oesophagus, bronchi and any inserted tube?","id":"vertebrate-tracheal-identity-q02","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"anatomical-endpoints","name":"Anatomical endpoints","description":"Defines the organ's extent using observed landmarks and accounts for variants or surgical changes.","findings":[{"id":"proximal-and-distal-boundaries","name":"Proximal and distal boundaries","description":"Identifies where tracheal ownership starts and stops in this particular anatomy.","questions":[{"text":"Which landmarks delimit the proximal and distal trachea, and how confidently were they identified?","id":"proximal-and-distal-boundaries-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Do unusual branch origins, resection or reconstruction require a different boundary interpretation?","id":"proximal-and-distal-boundaries-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"tracheal-geometry-and-support","name":"Tracheal geometry and support","description":"Captures the airway's course, dimensions and mechanisms of wall support.","layers":[{"id":"regional-airway-geometry","name":"Regional airway geometry","description":"Maps length, course and cross-sectional shape along the organ.","findings":[{"id":"landmark-indexed-dimensions","name":"Landmark-indexed dimensions","description":"Records dimensions in a reproducible anatomical and acquisition context.","questions":[{"text":"What are the centreline length and regional lumen areas or orthogonal diameters, measured between which landmarks?","id":"landmark-indexed-dimensions-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What posture, respiratory phase, airway pressure and measurement method accompanied those observations?","id":"landmark-indexed-dimensions-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"wall-support-and-deformation","name":"Wall support and deformation","description":"Relates supporting tissue configuration to observed changes in lumen shape.","findings":[{"id":"support-dependent-lumen-change","name":"Support-dependent lumen change","description":"Distinguishes observed structural support from inferred causes of airway deformation.","questions":[{"text":"Which cartilage and flexible wall regions are observed, and are any interrupted, altered or reconstructed?","id":"support-dependent-lumen-change-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"How does lumen area change between defined respiratory or pressure conditions at the same location?","id":"support-dependent-lumen-change-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What evidence separates intrinsic wall deformation from displacement or compression by neighbouring structures?","id":"support-dependent-lumen-change-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"tracheal-passage-and-clearance","name":"Tracheal passage and clearance","description":"Assesses airway continuity and the material that can obstruct or burden the lumen.","layers":[{"id":"airway-patency","name":"Airway patency","description":"Locates and characterises restrictions on the continuous air passage.","findings":[{"id":"obstruction-location-and-mechanism","name":"Obstruction location and mechanism","description":"Records the extent of compromised passage and the evidence for its mechanism.","questions":[{"text":"Where is passage restricted, over what length, and what minimum lumen remains under the observed conditions?","id":"obstruction-location-and-mechanism-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Does the evidence support luminal material, wall thickening, fixed scar, dynamic collapse or external compression as the mechanism?","id":"obstruction-location-and-mechanism-q02","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which direct observations support an effect on airflow, and which conclusions rely only on anatomical appearance?","id":"obstruction-location-and-mechanism-q03","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"luminal-material-and-clearance","name":"Luminal material and clearance","description":"Describes retained contents and evidence of their movement or removal.","findings":[{"id":"retained-material-burden","name":"Retained material burden","description":"Separates observed contents from assumptions about the effectiveness of clearance.","questions":[{"text":"What secretions, blood or foreign material are present, where are they located, and how much lumen do they occupy?","id":"retained-material-burden-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What repeated observations show clearance, retention or reaccumulation, and under which conditions?","id":"retained-material-burden-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"tracheal-tissue-and-connections","name":"Tracheal tissue and connections","description":"Records local tissue condition and relationships that can breach or distort the airway.","layers":[{"id":"lining-and-wall-condition","name":"Lining and wall condition","description":"Maps abnormalities of the mucosal surface and deeper wall.","findings":[{"id":"local-tissue-abnormality","name":"Local tissue abnormality","description":"Records location, extent and evidential basis of tissue changes without turning appearance into an unsupported diagnosis.","questions":[{"text":"Which regions show altered lining, ulceration, granulation, scarring, a mass or wall disruption, and what is their extent?","id":"local-tissue-abnormality-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which observations, samples or reports support the finding, and what remains unconfirmed about its cause or depth?","id":"local-tissue-abnormality-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"adjacent-structure-interfaces","name":"Adjacent structure interfaces","description":"Tracks external contact, compression and abnormal communications.","findings":[{"id":"tracheal-separation-and-communication","name":"Tracheal separation and communication","description":"Identifies whether the tracheal wall maintains its expected separation from neighbouring structures.","questions":[{"text":"Which neighbouring structures contact, displace or compress the trachea, and at what locations?","id":"tracheal-separation-and-communication-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Is there evidence of an abnormal opening or leak, and which structures or compartments does it connect?","id":"tracheal-separation-and-communication-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"tracheal-intervention-context","name":"Tracheal intervention context","description":"Connects devices, surgical changes and proposed actions to the observed organ state.","layers":[{"id":"devices-and-surgical-alterations","name":"Devices and surgical alterations","description":"Records how artificial interfaces and previous procedures intersect with the trachea.","findings":[{"id":"device-contact-and-altered-continuity","name":"Device contact and altered continuity","description":"Maps device components, stomas and anastomoses against the remaining tracheal anatomy.","questions":[{"text":"Where are device tips, cuffs or stents relative to tracheal endpoints, branch origins and abnormal tissue?","id":"device-contact-and-altered-continuity-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which segments, openings or joins were surgically created or altered, and what record establishes that history?","id":"device-contact-and-altered-continuity-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"action-readiness-and-follow-up","name":"Action readiness and follow-up","description":"Identifies evidence gaps and observable outcomes relevant to proposed tracheal actions.","findings":[{"id":"tracheal-action-constraints","name":"Tracheal action constraints","description":"Records the anatomical and tissue considerations requiring resolution before a qualified decision about intervention.","questions":[{"text":"Which observed narrowing, wall injury, abnormal connection or device relationship constrains the proposed action and requires qualified assessment?","id":"tracheal-action-constraints-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which tracheal observations must be obtained before the decision, and which measurements would establish the local result afterward?","id":"tracheal-action-constraints-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of trachea this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain the trachea's anatomy and function from medical sources.","Tell people to call emergency services for choking or breathing difficulty."],"mustNot":["Give individual medical advice on airway problems in place of a clinician.","Guide a lay person through an invasive airway procedure.","Disclose a person's airway condition or tracheostomy without consent."],"requiresHuman":["Any airway intervention on a patient."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Airway problems kill quickly; clear first aid guidance saves lives.","People living with a tracheostomy deserve dignity and inclusion."],"affectedParties":["Patients with airway conditions","People choking","First aiders"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns an organ; clinicians care for it in each patient.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q112826975","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q66507073","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.trachea","Wikidata: Q175449 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q175449)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Organism and developmental context: Host organism, taxon, developmental stage and body-size reference","Tracheal extent and configuration: Proximal and distal landmarks, branch origins, alterations and boundary confidence","Centreline length: mm or cm, with endpoint landmarks, posture and acquisition method","Regional lumen geometry: Cross-sectional area in mm² and orthogonal diameters in mm, indexed by position and respiratory phase","Wall-support configuration: Observed cartilage configuration, flexible wall regions, reconstruction or unknown","Dynamic lumen change: Area change in percent between explicitly defined acquisition conditions","Patency: Patent, partially obstructed, completely obstructed or indeterminate, with location and observation conditions","Wall and lining integrity: Observed intact tissue, inflammation, ulceration, disruption, scar, abnormal communication or indeterminate","Luminal material: Secretions, blood, foreign material, mixed contents, none observed or indeterminate","Device and surgical interface: Device position, contact regions, stoma, anastomosis and their relationships to anatomical landmarks"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A series of C-shaped cartilage rings distinguishes the trachea from the adjacent muscular esophagus.","Its posterior wall is membranous rather than a complete continuation of the cartilage rings.","Its lower end divides at the carina into the right and left main bronchi."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Identify and map the trachea from anatomical observations while retaining uncertainty about its boundaries.","Compare regional lumen geometry across positions, respiratory conditions and observation times.","Localise obstruction, wall abnormalities or abnormal communications and link them to supporting evidence.","Assess anatomical relationships relevant to a proposed airway device or procedure without independently authorising clinical intervention.","Track changes after treatment, device placement or reconstruction and flag findings requiring qualified review."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Obstruction of the tracheal lumen can severely impair ventilation and oxygen delivery.","Traumatic or intervention-related injury can disrupt the airway and allow air to escape into surrounding tissues.","Narrowing or collapse can restrict airflow and cause respiratory distress.","Impaired clearance of secretions can contribute to mucus retention and respiratory infection."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Terminologia Anatomica, issued by the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology, standardizes human anatomical terminology including the trachea.","The International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision, issued by the World Health Organization, provides classifications for human diseases and injuries involving the trachea."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["The trachea conducts air between the larynx and the main bronchi during breathing in mammals.","It is encountered in anatomy, respiratory assessment, medical imaging and airway care.","Its supporting cartilage helps maintain an open airway, while its lining contributes to the removal of inhaled particles."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Gray's Anatomy, 41st/42nd ed., Standring S. (ed.), Elsevier","url":"","note":"Gross anatomy: course from cricoid to carina, C-shaped rings, trachealis, relations to oesophagus, thyroid and great vessels, typical adult length and ring count."},{"title":"Terminologia Anatomica 2, FIPAT / International Federation of Associations of Anatomists","url":"","note":"Official anatomical name Trachea and identifier A06.3.01.001; cervical versus thoracic parts."},{"title":"Breatnach E, Abbott GC, Fraser RG. Dimensions of the normal human trachea. American Journal of Roentgenology, 1984","url":"","note":"CT-based adult coronal and sagittal tracheal diameters and sex differences used for the measurement ranges."},{"title":"Clinically Oriented Anatomy, Moore KL, Dalley AF, Agur AMR, Wolters Kluwer","url":"","note":"Surface and vertebral landmarks (C6 to T4/T5), intubation relations, and distinction from larynx and main bronchi."},{"title":"Trachea, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachea","note":"Cross-check of FMA, TA, MeSH and Wikidata identifiers and the everyday versus entomological senses of the name."},{"title":"ISO 5361, Anaesthetic and respiratory equipment - Tracheal tubes and connectors, International Organization for Standardization","url":"","note":"Device standard that governs tubes occupying the tracheal lumen in anaesthesia and critical care."},{"title":"Wikidata item Q175449: trachea","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q175449","note":"identity and sense of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does vr.tr.trachea denote only the vertebrate organ, or must it also cover invertebrate tracheae with a substantially different structural model?","Which existing Vercy world models already own this organ or its airway functions, and where should this entry link rather than duplicate them?","Which taxon-specific and developmental references should establish expected tracheal boundaries, wall architecture and dimensions?","Which acquisition methods and reference conditions permit reliable comparison of lumen geometry and dynamic narrowing without inventing universal thresholds?","Which validated evidence and professional decision frameworks should govern action readiness for native, injured, instrumented and reconstructed tracheae?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q175449/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q175449/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex","Grok"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-07T13:33:58Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:26+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}