OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcome of patients who have undergone a tracheostomy in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) and to determine the difference between an early and late tracheostomy. DESIGN AND METHODS All patients who had tracheostomy in the ICU of The Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Trinidad and Tobago, over a five-year period were retrospectively analysed. Data re...

the uterine rupture during pregnancy is a catastrophic condition resulting in both maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. it occurs in nearly 1% of patients with previous cesarean sections. however, uterine rupture at the site of previous iatrogenic perforation which is spontaneously healed or repaired is less reported. we present a 29-year-old woman, gravida 3 para 1, at 20 weeks of g...

background although heller myotomy is one of the most effective treatments for achalasia, it may be associated with early or late symptom relapse in some patients. therefore, additional treatment is required to achieve better control of symptoms. aim : to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pneumatic balloon dilation (pbd) in patients with symptom relapse after heller myotomy. methods thirty si...

In recent years there has been a growing tendency to include patients’ subjective assessment of treatment in medical results. This requires research concerning problems of quality of life (QOL), which reflects patients’ subjective expeDominika Dudek1, Marcin Siwek1, Wojciech Datka1, Dariusz Dudek2, Łukasz Rzeszutko2: 1Department of Psychiatry, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum; 2Departm...

Introduction Tracheostomy is commonly performed in critically ill patients with the objective of increasing comfort and shortening the duration of sedation, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care stay [1]. As the percutaneous technique has become widely available, the earlier use of tracheostomy has become commonplace [2,3]. Consequently, there is ongoing debate about the benefits of early ...

BACKGROUND Some pediatric patients receiving therapeutic aerosols undergo tracheostomy, and others who are tracheostomized continue requiring inhaled therapies upon decannulation. It is unknown whether a dose adjustment is required. Different devices are available for facial and tracheostomy delivery, and in some instances, the assisted technique is used. We hypothesized that the change from fa...

BACKGROUND Tracheostomy wounds are commonly encountered in children but rarely reported. Relatively few treatments are available or have been investigated to manage this problem. Healing times for pediatric tracheostomy wounds are often unpredictable and protracted. Recent use of maltodextrin gel (MD) and a silver alginate sponge (AG) at our institution has demonstrated expedited healing and in...

Tracheostomy is a life saving procedure and many patients are discharged with permanent tracheostomy tubes. We report the rare occurrence of a fractured tracheostomy tube migrating into the tracheobronchial tree and highlight the clinical manifestations of this uncommon complication that carries the potential risk of fatal respiratory obstruction.