Methods. Consecutive patients admitted to the ICU of the Emergency Department (Careggi Teaching Hospital, Florence, Italy) from January 2009 to October 2009, aged .18 years and with an indication for percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT), were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were infection/injury/malignancy of the neck, thyroid gland hypertrophy, severe head injury with uncontrolled intracr...

a review of the literature. Can J Anaesth 2005; 52: 739–60 7 Brimacombe J, Keller C, Judd DV. Gum elastic bougie-guided insertion of the ProSeal laryngeal mask airway is superior to the digital and introducer tool techniques. Anesthesiology 2004; 100: 25–9 8 Craven RM, Laver SR, Cook TM, Nolan JP. Use of the Pro-Seal LMA facilitates percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy. Can J Anaesth 2003; 50...

OBJECTIVE To determine the usefulness of performing routine postprocedure chest radiographs (CXRs) following percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) under bronchoscopic visualization. DESIGN Retrospective, chart review. SETTING Medical-surgical ICU of a teaching hospital. METHODS Sixty patients who underwent PDT under bronchoscopic visualization, for persistent ventilator dependence,...

Tracheo-innominate artery fistula (TIF) is an uncommon yet life threatening complication after a tracheostomy. Rates of 0.1–1% after surgical tracheostomy have been reported, with a peak incidence at 7–14 days post procedure. It is usually fatal unless treatment is instituted immediately. Initial case reports of TIF resulted from surgically performed tracheostomies. We present three fatalities ...

Background: Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) has been considered as an alternative to surgical tracheostomy in intensive care units (ICU), and is widely used for critically ill patients who need prolonged mechanical ventilation. Few studies have reported on PDT performed in critically ill patients taking antiplatelet agents. Our goals are to assess not only the feasibility and safet...

INTRODUCTION Ultrasound (US) performed prior to percutaneous tracheostomy (PT) may be useful in avoiding injury to pretracheal vascular structures and in avoiding high placement of the tube. Bedside real-time US guidance with visualization of needle path is routinely utilized for other procedures such as central venous catheterization, and may enhance the safety and accuracy of PT without causi...

BACKGROUND The role of routine chest radiography (CXR) after percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) has been questioned. METHODS We performed a prospective observational study, on a mixed medical/surgical critical care unit in a university teaching hospital. We studied all patients undergoing PDT as part of their critical care management from November 1, 2003 until July 31, 2007. All PD...