BACKGROUND It is not clear whether the benefits of tracheostomy remain the same in the population. This study aimed to better examine the effect of tracheostomy on clinical outcome among prolonged ventilator patients. METHODS Data were from the medical claims data in Taiwan. A total of 3880 patients with ventilator use for more than 14 days between 2005 and 2009 were identified. Among them, 6...

Knowing when to change a tracheostomy tube is important for optimal management of all patients with tracheostomy tubes. The first tracheostomy tube change, performed 1-2 weeks after placement, carries some risk and should be performed by a skilled operator in a safe environment. The risk associated with changing the tracheostomy tube then usually diminishes over time as the tracheo-cutaneous tr...

Tracheostomy tube fracture resulting in airway obstruction is a relatively rare but serious complication. We report the case of a 48-year-old man whose tracheostomy tube fractured and became lodged in the right primary bronchus. Recommendations are made for tracheostomy care to help prevent similar complications in patients with an indwelling tracheostomy tube.

OBJECTIVE To provide an up-to-date review of pediatric tracheostomy, primarily focusing on indications, surgical technique, complications and hospital and home care. SOURCES MEDLINE and PubMed databases were searched using the following keywords: tracheostomy, tracheotomy, children, newborn. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS Indications for tracheostomy in children are changing. Today the most common...

BACKGROUND The morbidity of surgical tracheostomy performed in critically ill patients is not well-known. Accordingly, the aim of this prospective study was to determine the incidence and severity of complications associated with subthyroid tracheostomy and cricothyroidotomy when performed in the ICU. METHODS Over a 2-year period, individual consecutive patients who were undergoing an electiv...

BACKGROUND A tracheostomy is often performed when patients cannot be weaned from mechanical ventilation. Respiratory infections (ventilator-associated pneumonia and infection of the lower respiratory tract) complicate the course of hospitalization in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. OBJECTIVES To evaluate respiratory infections before and after a percutaneous tracheostomy and to des...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) continues to have high morbidity and mortality. Patients with sICH and poor mental status are at high risk of airway compromise and frequently require intubation. The traditional ventilatory weaning parameters are not reliable in patients with brain pathology. The objective of this study is to identify clinical and radiological ...

A TRACHEOSTOMY IS COMmonly performed when clinicians predict a patient will need prolonged mechanical ventilation. The use of this procedure has increased, especially following the introduction of a practical bedside percutaneous tracheostomy technique in 1985, such that up to onethird of patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation now receive a tracheostomy. The perceived advantages of...

Tracheostomy is one of the most frequently performed procedures in intensive care units. Bedside percutaneous tracheostomy has become an increasingly popular option to standard open tracheostomy. Several contraindications for percutaneous tracheostomy, including an enlarged thyroid isthmus, have been described. However, as experience with this technique has increased, most of the described cont...

INTRODUCTION Current prevalence estimates of gastrostomy tube (GT)/tracheostomy placement in hospitalized patients with anoxic/hypoxic ischemic encephalopathic injury (AHIE) post cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are unknown. We sought, to estimate the prevalence of AHIE in hospitalized patients who had CPR and to identify patient/hospital level factors that predict the performance of GT/trac...