the head of the patient and performs fiberoptic bronchoscopy (Olympus NFT3 Rhino-Laryngo Fiberscope; Olympus Optical; Hamburg, Germany) to prevent complications. The second physician performs the procedure. To prevent abnormal insertion and tracheal injury, the use of a single progressive conic dilator (Ciaglia Blue Rhino; William Cook Europe; Bjaeverskov, Denmark) is better than the use of sev...

the head of the patient and performs fiberoptic bronchoscopy (Olympus NFT3 Rhino-Laryngo Fiberscope; Olympus Optical; Hamburg, Germany) to prevent complications. The second physician performs the procedure. To prevent abnormal insertion and tracheal injury, the use of a single progressive conic dilator (Ciaglia Blue Rhino; William Cook Europe; Bjaeverskov, Denmark) is better than the use of sev...

When first introduced, percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) was performed using a bronchoscope. The bronchoscope itself, however, has several disadvantages, including interruption of ventilation. Modifications of the standard PDT technique have suggested that PDT can be safely performed without a bronchoscope. However, the safety of these modifications is unclear and many modifications ...

As the number of critically ill patients requiring tracheotomy for prolonged ventilation has increased, the demand for a procedural alternative to the surgical tracheostomy (ST) has also emerged. Since its introduction, percutaneous dilatational tracheostomies (PDT) have gained increasing popularity. The most commonly cited advantages are the ease of the familiar technique and the ability to pe...

OBJECTIVE To determine the predictors of weaning from mechanical ventilation after cardiac operation with the Ciaglia percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) in our preliminary experience in the use of this technique. METHODS We prospectively analysed 33 consecutive patients (mean age 70.9+/-12.7 years) who underwent PDT in our intensive care unit after cardiac operation. The investigati...

Introduction Placement of a tracheostomy tube percutaneously is not a new idea; pictures of devices that appear to have been developed for this purpose date back to the Rigveda.1 A modern percutaneous tracheostomy (PCT) device was developed by Toye and Weinstein in 1969, and its use in 100 trauma patients was reported in 1986.2,3 The wireguided technique for percutaneous tracheostomy was develo...