Elective open "Shield Tracheostomy" in patients with COVID-19

To prevent the consequences of long-term endotracheal intubation, patients undergo tracheostomies. However, as COVID-19 is highly contagious, its existence has made the tracheostomy a high-risk procedure. Tracheostomy procedures must, therefore, be adjusted for safety reasons. The aim is to present the adjustments that should be made to the surgical technique.

Both the medical charts and surgical reports of patients with COVID-19 who were subjected to elective open tracheostomies were reviewed.

The retrospective study included 25 patients. Our adjustments include the timing of tracheostomies, ideally putting them at 21 days after the onset of COVID-19, the advancement of an endotracheal tube to 26-28 cm from the upper-alveolar ridge, surgery being carried out in the intensive care unit with appropriately modified positions of the patient and providers, tracheo-cutaneous sutures, and intentionally making the small tracheal flap and the tracheal window the same shape as a medieval shield.

A tracheostomy performed in this way is now referred to as the Shield Tracheostomy. Further improvements to the surgical technique are expected in the future.