Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 15, 2026
Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
Published on: August 12, 2019
Pediatric Tracheotomy: A 5-Year Experience in Düzce University Medical Faculty
İlhan Ünlü1, Ethem İlhan1, Elif Nisa Ünlü2
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Düzce University School of Medicine, Düzce, Turkey.
Insights
Pediatric tracheotomy is now primarily for prolonged intubation and airway obstruction, not infections. This procedure aids in patient discharge after family training.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Otolaryngology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Tracheotomy, a long-standing surgical intervention, has seen evolving indications in pediatric care.
- Contemporary reasons for pediatric tracheotomy include prolonged mechanical ventilation, upper airway obstruction, and congenital anomalies, shifting away from acute infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To retrospectively analyze the indications and complications of tracheotomy in pediatric patients.
- To present institutional experience with pediatric tracheotomy over a five-year period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective evaluation of 17 pediatric patients undergoing tracheotomy between June 2010 and June 2015.
- Data collected included patient demographics, reasons for tracheotomy, intubation duration, and observed complications.
Main Results:
- The primary indications were prolonged intubation, excessive pulmonary secretions, and upper airway obstruction.
- A minor complication rate of 11.76% was observed, with no major complications. Accidental decannulation and bleeding were noted.
- Two patients required re-operation for stoma widening; mortality was linked to underlying primary diseases.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric tracheotomy is predominantly performed for prolonged intubation and airway obstruction where endotracheal intubation is insufficient.
- Tracheotomy facilitates the discharge of pediatric patients by enabling alternative airway management and home care after family education.
Objective:
Tracheotomy is one of the oldest surgical procedures. Pediatric tracheotomy indications have changed in recent decades. Currently, tracheotomy is performed because of prolonged intubation, upper airway obstruction, neuromuscular, and craniofacial anomalies instead of acute airway infections. This study aims to present our experience regarding indications and complications of tracheotomy in pediatric patients.
Methods:
We retrospectively evaluated 17 pediatric patients who underwent tracheotomy because of prolonged intubation, increased pulmonary secretions, and upper respiratory tract obstruction from June 2010 to June 2015. The patients' age, gender, tracheotomy indications, duration of intubation, complications, and actual clinical condition were recorded.
Results:
Tracheotomy was performed on 17 pediatric patients in our clinic. Discharged patients were followed with a 3-month routine check. Six patients (35.29%) had died because of a primary disease during follow-up, and one (5.88%) of them was a one-day-old newborn who had anomalies that were incompatible with life. In one patient, emergency tracheotomy was performed because of a tracheal trauma. None of the patients has been decannulated except one (5.88%). One (5.88%) patient had an accidental decannulation, while another had bleeding in the operation field. The total minor complication rate was 11.76%, and no major complication was observed. Two (11.76%) of the discharged patients underwent re-operation for widening of the tracheotomy stoma during their routine visit.
Conclusion:
Currently, tracheotomy in pediatric patients is mostly performed for prolonged intubation and upper respiratory tract obstruction for which intubation is not possible. Tracheotomy enables the discharge of these patients after training their families.
Related Concept Videos
01:045-Number Summary
In a box plot, the minimum and maximum data values represent the lower and upper whiskers in the graph, and the median is designated as the center of the box in the chart. The first quartile and third...
01:23Inhaled Medications
01:12What is an Experiment?
01:26Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion
01:19Thomson's e/m Experiment
A particle with charge q, speed v, and mass m enters an area from the top, where the magnetic and electric fields are perpendicular both to the particle's motion and to one another. The magnetic...
01:13Controls in Experiments