Define the medical term tracheostomy . a surgery in which a small wedge- shaped piece of cancerous lung tissue is removed, along with a margin of healthy tissue around the cancer the surgical creation of a stoma into the trachea below the vocal cords to insert a temporary or permanent tube to facilitate breathing a procedure in which an incision is made into the trachea to gain access to the airway below a blockage a surgical incision into the larynx, performed when the upper part of the airway is obstructed