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[Modern causes of tracheostomy in children]
Yu L Soldatsky1, O A Denisova1, I P Vitkovskaya1
1Morozovskaya Children's City Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia.
Insights
Pediatric tracheostomy is increasingly a planned surgery, often for children with severe central nervous system conditions requiring respiratory support and airway care. Most cases involve prolonged intubation, with central nervous system pathology being the primary driver.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Critical Care Medicine
- Neurology
Background:
- Tracheostomy in children is a critical intervention for airway management.
- Understanding the indications and outcomes is vital for optimizing pediatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the primary causes and patient demographics for tracheostomy in hospitalized children.
- To identify the underlying pathologies leading to tracheostomy in a pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of pediatric cases undergoing tracheostomy.
- Data collected from a large multidisciplinary pediatric hospital between January 2016 and December 2018.
Main Results:
- Tracheostomy was performed in 138 children (0.064% of admissions).
- Central nervous system (CNS) pathology (55.1%) and brain/spinal cord tumors (26.1%) were the leading causes.
- Over two-thirds of patients required palliative care, with respiratory support and airway clearance as main indications.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric tracheostomy is shifting towards a planned procedure.
- Severe CNS conditions necessitate tracheostomy for respiratory support and tracheobronchial care.
- High rates of palliative care needs highlight the complexity of these pediatric cases.
Abstract:
The purpose of work is to analyze the causes of tracheostomy in children hospitalized in a large multidisciplinary pediatric hospital.
Material And Methods:
Retrospective analysis of case of children treated in a multidisciplinary urgent hospital - GBUZ «Morozovskaya CCCH of MDH», which in the period from 01.01.16 to 31.12.18 was made operation «tracheostomy» was conducted.
Results:
Tracheostomy was performed in 138 (0.064%) among 216 469 hospitalized children. Age at the time of tracheostomy ranged from 2 weeks to 17.5 years (on average 67.9±59.84 months, Me=47.5 months), and 36.2% of children had tracheostomy was done on the 1st year of life. 126 (91.3%) patients required prolonged tracheal intubation prior to tracheostomy placement; the duration of intubation ranged from 1 to 95 days (on average 19.9±13.42 days, Me=14 days). The main reasons of tracheostomy were the need for long-term mechanical ventilation/respiratory support; the need for constant sanitation of the lower respiratory tract with bulbar/pseudobulbar disorders; upper respiratory paths obstruction. The diseases that led to this condition can be grouped into 4 categories: CNS pathology - 76 (55.1%) patients; brain / spinal cord tumors - 36 (26.1%); neurodystrophy and stenosis of the upper respiratory tract of various etiology - 13 (9.4% each) patients. 68.1% of patients were found incurable and required palliative care. Mortality among patients with a known catamnesis was 39.1%, mainly due to progression of the underlying disease; the lethality associated with tracheal cannulation was 1.4%.
Conclusion:
Currently, pediatric tracheostomy is moving into the category of predominantly planned surgical interventions. More than 2/3 of children requiring tracheostomy are patients in need of palliative care with severe pathology of the central nervous system; in which the main indications for surgery are the need for respiration support and regular tracheobronchial care..
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