Epidemiological profile of patients with tracheotomy in a referral public hospital intensive care unit in Belo Horizonte.

OBJECTIVES Tracheostomy is a common procedure in intensive care unit to promote mechanical ventilation weaning. Despite tracheostomy is increasingly used there is no agreement of actual clinical practice of tracheostomy in different groups of patients in our environment. Objective of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological profile and outcomes of patients with tracheostomy at a clinical-surgical intensive care unit and compare this profile with the current literature. METHODS Retrospective descriptive study through review of medical records and quality control database of "QuaTI" (Qualidade em Terapia Intensiva) of 87 patients with tracheostomy at Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte intensive care unit in 2007. We studied variables related to evolution aspects. RESULTS The clinical and epidemiological analysis of the 87 patients showed: mean age 58 ± 17 years, mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation - APACHE II 18 ± 6, mean time of orotracheal intubation before tracheostomy of 11.17 ± 4.78 days. Intensive care unit mortality was 40.2% (35/87 patients), ward mortality was 36.5% (19/52) and overall hospital mortality 62.1% (54/87). Mean age of patients who died at intensive care unit (65 + 17 years) was greater than who were discharged to ward (53 ± 16 years) p = 0.003. Mean age of who died in hospital (intensive care unit and ward) (62 ± 17 years) was also higher than survivors (52 ± 16 years) p = 0.008. Old age (> 65 years) was related to intensive care unit mortality (OR 2.874, CI 1.165 a 7.088 p = 0.020) and also related to the overall hospital mortality (OR 3.202, CI 1.188 a 8.628 p = 0.019). There were not others variables related to mortality in this sample. CONCLUSIONS The epidemiological profile of patients who underwent tracheotomy in the intensive care unit showed high mortality rate when compared to international series. Senility was related to worse outcome in these patients. Other issues were not related mortality in this group.