RATIONALE Tracheostomy is done mostly in critically ill patients, many of whom may not survive. We still do not know the long term complications of tracheostomy itself; tracheal and subglottic stenosis, and tracheomalacia. OBJECTIVES To compare the complications of surgical tracheostomy (ST) versus percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) by means of MRI control up to 1 month after closed...

Introduction Prolonged intubation has been associated with increased mortality and morbidity of patients in critical condition. There is debate over whether early tracheostomy within 7 days, should be or not performed during the stay in the intensive care unit and its relationship with improvement in mortality and morbidity at discharge and 28 days. Recently, a large controlled clinical trial t...

A significant proportion of trauma patients require tracheostomy during intensive care unit stay. The timing of this procedure remains a subject of debate. The decision for tracheostomy should take into consideration the risks and benefits of prolonged endotracheal intubation versus tracheostomy. Timing of tracheostomy is also influenced by the indications for the procedure, which include relie...

Introduction Tracheostomy is commonly performed in critically ill patients with the objective of increasing comfort and shortening the duration of sedation, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care stay [1]. As the percutaneous technique has become widely available, the earlier use of tracheostomy has become commonplace [2,3]. Consequently, there is ongoing debate about the benefits of early ...

Tracheostomy is a common surgical procedure, and is increasingly performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) as opposed to the operating room. Procedural knowledge is essential and is therefore outlined in this review. We also review several high-quality studies comparing percutaneous dilational tracheostomy and open surgical tracheostomy. The percutaneous method has a comparable, if not superio...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcome of patients who have undergone a tracheostomy in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) and to determine the difference between an early and late tracheostomy. DESIGN AND METHODS All patients who had tracheostomy in the ICU of The Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Trinidad and Tobago, over a five-year period were retrospectively analysed. Data re...

BACKGROUND Approximately 75% of hospitalized patients with a cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) will require intubation and mechanical ventilation (MV) because of compromised respiratory function. It is difficult to predict those CSCI patients who will require prolonged ventilation and therefore will most benefit from early tracheostomy. This study intended to show the benefits of tracheostomy,...

BACKGROUND The best time to perform a tracheostomy in cardiac surgery patients who require prolonged postoperative mechanical ventilation remains unknown. The primary aim of this investigation was to determine if tracheostomy performed before postoperative day 10 improves patient outcomes. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively collected patient information obtained...

OBJECTIVE To compare outcomes in critically ill patients undergoing artificial ventilation who received a tracheostomy early or late in their treatment. DATA SOURCES The Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, the National Research Register, the NHS Trusts Clinical Trials Register, the Medical Research Council UK database, the NHS Research and Development Health...