aryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) is a life-threatening, fixed, extrathoracic restriction in pulmonary ventilation. It is an umbrella term that encompasses airway compromise at the level of the larynx, subglottis, or cervical trachea and is a common consequence of multiple pathophysiologic processes. 1-3 The goal of surgical treatment is to improve airway caliber to mitigate the patient's dyspnea and achieve prosthesisfree breathing (eg, without tracheostomy, intraluminal stent, or T-tube). 2,4-10 Successful surgical outcomes depend on many factors, including technical expertise, pulmonary function, and patient characteristics. Rates of achieving prosthesis-free breathing after adult open airway reconstruction surgery vary in the literature from 57% to 100%. 10 With few exceptions, 3 all LTS surgical studies have been small, single-institution case series. To date, variables associated with prosthesis-free breathing after LTS surgery include anatomical (eg, degree of luminal compromise, length of stenosis, and laryngeal involvement) 3,5 and patient-specific (eg, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, congestive heart failure, and gastroesophageal reflux disease) factors. 4,8 Despite the importance of preoperative risk stratification to minimize postoperative IMPORTANCE Airway reconstruction for adults with laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) is directed toward improving airway caliber to mitigate the patient's dyspnea and achieve prosthesis-free breathing (ie, without tracheostomy, intraluminal stent, or T-tube). Despite the importance of preoperative risk stratification to minimize postoperative complications, consensus on an objective predictive algorithm for open airway reconstruction is lacking. OBJECTIVE To determine whether the ability to achieve a prosthesis-free airway in adults after open airway reconstruction is associated with red blood cell distribution width (RDW) at the time of surgery. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Case series study investigating 92 consecutive patients 18 years and older with laryngotracheal stenosis who underwent open airway reconstruction at a US tertiary care hospital from January 1, 2006, to January 1, 2017. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The main outcome was a prosthesis-free airway (absence of tracheostomy, intraluminal stent, or T-tubes) at last follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to identify independent factors associated with this outcome. RESULTS Of the 92 patients who met inclusion criteria, the median (interquartile range) age was 44 (33.0-60.3) years; 50 (53%) were female, and 82 (89%) were white. In all, 74 patients (80%) were prosthesis free at the last follow-up (mean, 833 days; 95% CI, 10-4229 days). In multivariate analyses, airway decannulation was significantly correlated with reduced RDW (odds ratio [OR], 0.40; 95% CI, 0.19-0.84) and the absence of posterior glottic stenosis (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.37). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These data suggest that surgical success in open airway reconstruction is significantly associated with RDW and whethe...