Figure 1. Fascial excision of neck. Figure 2. Midline neck defect following tracheostomy decannulation after one year.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To determine if open surgical treatment options for adult and adolescent laryngotracheal stenosis are more successful than endoscopic procedures. STUDY DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS Embase and MEDLINE were searched for publications on adult and adolescent patients (>13 years old) with laryngotracheal stenosis. Cause of stenosis (intubation, idiopathic, or trauma) a...

Eighty-one patients with long-term tracheostomy tubes (mean duration, 4.9 months) were examined via fiberoptic bronchoscopy prior to decannulation. Obstructive airway lesions were observed in 54 patients (67 percent). All tracheal lesions were anatomically located proximal to the stoma. No cuff lesions were observed. The two most commonly observed lesions were tracheal granuloma (60 percent) an...

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...

Introduction  Tracheostomy weaning in patients who suffered a severe acquired brain injury is often a challenge and decannulation failures are not uncommon. Objective  Our study objective is to describe the decannulation failure rate in patients undergoing rehabilitation following a severe acquired brain injury (sABI); to describe the factors associated with a successful tube weaning. Methods  ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To evaluate the clinical value of polysomnography in patients with a tracheotomy due to chronic upper airway obstruction prior to attempting decannulation. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review. METHODS Subjects with chronic upper airway obstruction were identified using a clinical database between 2000 and 2014. All subjects had a tracheotomy, were assessed by the s...

OBJECTIVES When the T-tube is inserted as a temporary stent, it is unclear whether keeping it longer in place has any benefit on the outcome. METHODS Among 1738 patients with airway stenosis (1996-2011), 134 underwent T-tube placement (mean duration = 14.3 months); temporarily while waiting for an appropriate time for surgery in 53 (Group 1), as an adjunct after a complex laryngotracheal rese...