The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 2011 , Vol 53 , Num 5
Pediatric Tracheotomy: 3-Year Experience at a Tertiary Care Center with 54 Children
1Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery and 2Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey The aim of this study was to evaluate the indications, complications and outcomes of pediatric tracheotomies at a tertiary care center. Data were obtained retrospectively from 54 patients who underwent tracheotomy from July 2007 to May 2010. Over the three-year period, 54 tracheotomies were performed. Thirty-two patients (59.3%) were male and 22 (40.7%) were female. The mean and median ages of the patients were 54 and 14 months (6 days-17 years), respectively. Twenty-six patients (48.1%) were under 1 year of age. The most common indication for tracheotomy was prolonged intubation (87%), followed by upper airway obstruction (13%). Five patients (9.2%) underwent tracheotomy under semiurgent settings. The overall complication rate was 29.6% (16/54). Early complications occurred in 7 patients (13%), including accidental decannulation in 2 patients, subcutaneous emphysema in 4 patients and hemorrhage in 1 patient. Late complications occurred in 9 patients (16.7%) (stomal granulation in 7 patients and stomal infection in 2 patients). Eight patients (14.8%) were decannulated successfully. No tracheotomy-related deaths occurred, with an overall mortality rate of 27.7% (15/54). Pediatric tracheotomy is a relatively safe procedure with a low incidence of procedure-related morbidities. The indication for the majority of the procedures was prolonged intubation (87%). The lower decannulation rate is related to the higher percentage of patients needing assisted ventilation and the relatively short follow-up period. Keywords : pediatric tracheotomy, indications, complications, outcome.
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