Tracheostomy is an upper airway bypass which is life saving in certain occasions. However, there are several early and late complications. One of these rare mishaps is the broken cannula, few cases of which has been reported so far. Herein we are reporting a rare case of broken tube as a late complication of indwelling tracheostomy tube. A 52 year old woman with moderate respiratory distress wa...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of tracheotomy on polysomnographic and arterial blood gas data in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). DESIGN A retrospective study of all patients who underwent tracheotomy and were studied polysomnographically at the Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center, Baltimore, Md, since 1981. SETTING A regional sleep disorders center. PATIENTS Twenty-eight ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcome of tracheotomized patients after reintubation. METHOD Secondary analysis from a prospective, multicenter and observational study including 36 Intensive Care Units (ICUs) from 8 countries. PATIENTS A total of 180 patients under mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours, extubated and reintubated within 48 hours. INTERVENTIONS None. OUTCOMES ICU morta...

OBJECTIVE To describe a novel technique for percutaneous tracheotomy (PT) that could be an alternative to current dilational techniques. DESIGN An observational animal study of PT was performed using the Seldinger guide wire technique with a tracheostomy tube preloaded onto a dilational balloon catheter. A small skin incision was done with an 11-blade scalpel, but no blunt subcutaneous tissue...

Tracheotomy is a common procedure in intensive care units, and nurses must provide proper care to tracheostomy patients to prevent complications. One of the most important considerations is effective mobilization of secretions, and a suction catheter is the most important tool for that purpose. Each bedside should be equipped with a functional suctioning system, an oxygen source, a manual resus...

INTRODUCTION The optimal timing of tracheotomy in critically ill patients remains a topic of debate. We performed a systematic review to clarify the potential benefits of early versus late tracheotomy. METHODS We searched PubMed and CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials that compared outcomes in patients managed with early and late tracheotomy. A random-effects meta-analysis, combining dat...

A 25-year-old girl was found a large tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) 20 cm away from the incisors by gastroscope. It was a consequence of prolong intubation after the head operation because of right temporal lobe cerebral hemorrhage broken into ventricles. The patient was tracheotomy and retained spontaneous breathing. Operation was planned to via cervical and thoracic abdominal esophageal tran...

A 70 year-old man, with a 7-year tracheotomy because of a laryngeal tumor, had an accident during daily canulla cleansing procedure, aspirating a piece of the cleaning brush. Chest radiograph showed metallic foreign body at the right inferior bronchus. Rigid bronchoscopy was performed under general anesthesia, with no resistance in passing the tube through the glottis. The foreign body was easi...