The respiratory therapist plays an integral role in tracheostomy tube decannulation. Removal of the tracheostomy tube should be considered only if the original upper-airway obstruction is resolved, if airway secretions are controlled, and if mechanical ventilation is no longer needed. Predictors of success include ability to produce a vigorous cough and the absence of aspiration. Tracheostomy d...

BACKGROUND Tracheostomy is a common procedure for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. However, the timing of tracheostomy is quite variable. This study was performed to find out the factors determining the timing of tracheostomy in medical intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS Patients who were underwent tracheostomy between January 2008 and December 2009 in the medical ICU of S...

Tracheostomy in the neurosurgical setting is an important tool for airway maintenance, especially in Cerebellopontine angle tumour patients. A retrospective study was conducted at the Neurosurgical centre of a tertiary care institute for analyzing the factors dictating early or late tracheostomy and its consequent early or late decannulation. 170 records were retrieved of which 15.8% underwent ...

Tracheostomy directly exposes the lower respiratory tract to the exogenous bacteria increasing the risk of colonization of lower respiratory tract. The present study was done in patients who underwent tracheostomy and the study compares bacterial flora of oropharnyx and lower respiratory tract during tracheostomy with that of the bacterial flora of the lower respiratory tract during the first t...

Objectives: The optimal timing for tracheostomy after cardiac surgery in patients undergoing prolonged ventilation is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of tracheostomy timing on shortand long-term mortality of these patients. Design: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data. Setting: Cardiac surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary-care, university...

features that appear frequently in intubated patients who may require later tracheostomy. Ventilator-associated pneumonia, low GCS, and the need for reintubation are possible risk factors for tracheostomy. Optimal time for tracheostomy varies with age and underlying pathology that lead to the need for it. The majority of the patients can be discharged from PICU post-tracheostomy; however, the m...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To assess the incidence of tracheostomy in patients submitted to mechanic ventilation (MV); to compare the length of stay (LOS), duration of MV, APACHE II and mortality among patients submitted to tracheostomy, according to the moment of its application (early or late). METHODS A retrospective observation study type cohort was done from April thru October 2005 includ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS After concurrent chemoradiation for head and neck squamous cell cancer, patients with laryngeal incompetence may not recover function. We assessed variables predicting tracheostomy dependence as a measure of poor laryngeal function after chemoradiation. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective METHODS Analysis of 109 patients treated with chemoradiation for locoregionally advanced l...