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Complications in pediatric tracheostomies

M M Carr1, C P Poje, L Kingston

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology, Children's Hospital of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA. mm.carr@utoronto.ca

The Laryngoscope
|January 22, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric tracheostomy complications are common, with 43% experiencing serious issues like airway loss. Tracheostomy-related deaths are rare, affecting 0.7% of patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric surgery
  • Otolaryngology
  • Critical care medicine

Background:

  • Pediatric tracheostomy is a vital procedure for airway management in children.
  • Complications can significantly impact patient outcomes and require careful monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the incidence and types of complications associated with pediatric tracheostomy.
  • To evaluate the outcomes of decannulation and mortality rates in this patient population.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of 142 children who underwent tracheotomy or laryngeal diversion between 1990 and 1999.
  • Analysis of intraoperative, early, and late complications, decannulation success rates, and mortality.

Main Results:

  • Serious complications occurred in 43% of patients, including airway loss (tube occlusion, accidental decannulation) or need for further surgery.
  • Complications were frequent after the first tube change (63%).
  • Decannulation was successful in 85% of trials, but 54% of decannulated patients still had complications.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric tracheostomy is associated with a high rate of serious complications, necessitating vigilant management.
  • Deaths directly attributed to tracheostomy complications are infrequent (0.7%).
Abstract

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