What is the term for a permanent surgical opening in the neck that allows a patient to breathe?

The term for a permanent surgical opening in the neck that allows a patient to breathe is known as a stoma. In medical terminology, a stoma refers specifically to an opening that is created surgically to provide access to the outside of the body. In the context of breathing, a stoma can connect the airway directly to the exterior, most commonly associated with patients who may have undergone a tracheostomy for various medical reasons.

A tracheostomy refers to the procedure of creating an opening in the trachea, while the stoma is the actual opening that results from this operation. Thus, while the term tracheostomy describes the procedure itself, stoma refers to the result in the context of breathing.

In this case, the focus is on the term that describes the permanent opening. Incision refers to the cut made during surgery, and fistula describes an abnormal connection between two bodily structures, which is not applicable to this context. Therefore, stoma is the most accurate term to describe the permanent opening created to facilitate breathing.