Tracheostomy in Infants and Children

Over the last decade, tracheostomy has been increasingly performed in children, aligned with the improvements in neonatal and pediatric ICU care. Nowadays, the majority of children with tracheostomy represent a very complex cohort of patients with sustained reliance on tracheostomy and related medical technology for long-term survival. Tracheostomy is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the adult ICU. Contrary to adult practice, tracheostomy is a much less common procedure in the pediatric ICU, being performed in < 3% of patients. There is no definite consensus about the length of time a child should remain endotracheally intubated before the placement of a tracheostomy. Tracheostomy in children also continues to remain a predominantly surgical procedure, with percutaneous tracheostomy being performed infrequently and only considered feasible in older children. The indications, preoperative considerations, and procedure types for tracheostomy in children are reviewed. There is also a lack of consensus on an optimal pediatric decannulation protocol. The literature discusses a myriad of protocols that use varying combinations of in-patient/out-patient resources, specialized tests, and procedures An ideal decannulation protocol is presented, as well as review of recently published decannulation algorithms. Finally, children with tracheostomy have a higher risk of adverse events and mortality, which are largely secondary to their comorbidities rather than the tracheostomy. The majority of the tracheostomy-related events are in fact potentially preventable. There is a recognized need for improvement and coordination of care of pediatric patients with tracheostomy. A multidisciplinary coordinated approach to tracheostomy care has already shown promising results. This paper seeks to review the pertinent literature regarding quality improvement initiatives for tracheostomy care, including review of the recently established Global Tracheostomy Collaborative.