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Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. E-mail: nildasuslu@yahoo.com The aim of this study was to demonstrate the differences between adult and pediatric tracheotomies in terms of indications, early and late complications and decannulation time. A total of 136 (53 children, 83 adult) patients who underwent tracheotomy between 2006 and 2011 were studied. Prolonged intubation was the most common indication in children (84.9%), whereas in the adult group, upper airway obstruction (45.8%) was the main indication. Early and late complication rates in children were 22.6% and 5.7%, respectively. Complication rates (early 19.3%, late 4.8%) in adults did not differ statistically from those in children. Similar decannulation success was observed in children (34.6%) and adults (40.2%). Mean decannulation times after tracheotomy were 317 and 69 days in children and adults, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.040). Pediatric and adult tracheotomies differ in terms of indication and decannulation time, but complications are similar. Keywords : tracheotomy, pediatric, indication, complication.