[Note on the care of tracheotomized patients]

After considering the indications for tracheotomy on his intensive care unit, the author describes the risks of this operation and the means of avoiding them. Out of 1940 patients admitted over a period of 5 years on the intensive care unit of the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 175 were tracheotomised, inclusing 133 who were submitted to intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Only three patients had complications linked to the tracheotomy, complications which were the cause of the death of two of them.