BACKGROUND Percutaneous tracheostomy is a common procedure in the intensive care unit and, on patient transfer to the wards, there is a gap in ongoing tracheostomy management. There is some evidence that tracheostomy teams can shorten weaning to decannulation times. In response to lengthy weaning to decannulation times at Trillium Health Partners - Credit Valley Hospital site (Mississauga, Onta...

BACKGROUND Tracheostomy was first observed in Egyptian drawings in 3600 BC and performed frequently during the 1800's diphtheria epidemic. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to elucidate the indications, complications, mortality rate, and the effect of pediatric tracheostomy on length of PICU or hospital stay. MATERIALS AND METHODS Demographic characteristics, diagnosis at admission, dura...

Acquired tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TEF) after tracheostomy is a life threatening complication and can occur in about 1% of cases of tracheostomy. Percutaneous tracheostomy was performed in intensive care unit on a 40 years male patient for long-term mechanical ventilation. Subsequently patient developed TEF as the complication of tracheostomy. He was initially managed with endoscopically ins...

The impact that a new specialist tracheostomy service, designed specifically for the care of patients with tracheostomies, was assessed in terms of type of tracheostomy tube used, time to first tube change, time to decannulation, and incidence of tracheostomy related complications in a teaching hospital with no on-site ear, nose, and throat facility. A total of 170 patients were studied. After ...

BACKGROUND The complication rates for tracheostomy patients could be serious and life threatening. As a result, length of stay (LOS) increases and patient outcomes can be negatively impacted. Examples of complications include accidental decannulation, bleeding and total occlusion. Studies suggest there is an inconsistency in tracheostomy care among providers and institutions. Other studies sugg...

Airway fires are an uncommon but real and devastating complication of tracheostomy. One such fire in a 31-year-old man is described. Surgical fires are discussed, and 15 reported cases of tracheostomy fire are reviewed. A tracheostomy protocol, adopted by our department and designed to avoid this life-threatening complication, is described. Surgeons and anaesthetists involved in tracheostomy mu...

M e t h o d s Data sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, National Research Register, the National Health Service Trusts Clinical Trials Register, Medical Research Council U.K. database, National Health Service Research and Development Health Technology Assessment Programme, and British Heart Foundation database (last search in November 2...

OBJECTIVE To describe our technique and experience of treating adult subglottic stenosis using the Nd:YAG laser through a flexible bronchoscope via a fiberoptic delivery system. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. PATIENTS This study included 16 patients with subglottic stenosis who presented to the senior surgeon (M.R.R.) for laser bronchoscopy from January 2000 to December 2006. MAIN OUT...

Tracheostomy is an important procedure in children requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the frequency, indications, postoperative course and short-term outcome of elective tracheostomy in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Pakistan. Twenty-five patients underwent tracheostomy in last 5 years (2.2 % of all PICU admissions). Mean age of ...

Tracheostomy is a common procedure for intensive care patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. In this case report, we describe a 78-year-old female patient admitted for an aneurysm of the cerebral anterior communicating artery. Following immediate endovascular coiling, she remained ventilated and was transferred to the neurological intensive care unit. On postoperative day ten, a p...