Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the experience of a single center pediatric intensive care unit in pediatric bedside tracheostomies performed during a six-year period. Thirty-one bedside tracheostomies were performed on 31 patients aged 2 months to 18 years. The major indication for tracheostomy was prolonged ventilator dependence. Twenty-two complications, 6 major and 16 minor, were observed in 18 patients. Early complications were observed in 5 patients and all were managed immediately without serious outcomes. Ten patients died during the study period and only one death was directly related to the tracheostomy; the remaining 9 patients died due to their underlying disease. Eleven patients were successfully decannulated, 12 patients were discharged home with their tracheostomies and 5 of these 12 patients required home ventilation. Although children who required tracheostomy had a high overall mortality (32.3%), the prognosis of these patients depends primarily on the underlying medical condition.
Copyright and license
Copyright © 2008 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.