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Endotracheal Intubation via Tracheotomy and Subsequent Thoracotomy in Rats for Non-Survival Applications
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Tracheostomy in infants in an Australian Tertiary Children's Hospital: have the indications and outcomes changed?

Katryna Pham1, Emma Ho2, Beckie Petulla3

  • 1School of Clinical Medicine, Women's Health, Paediatrics & Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW, Australia.

The Journal of Laryngology and Otology
|October 28, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Indications for infant tracheostomy have shifted, with fewer cases for airway obstruction and more for long-term ventilation. Early complications decreased, but overall outcomes remained stable.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Otolaryngology
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • Tracheostomy in infants is a critical intervention for airway management.
  • Understanding trends in indications and outcomes is vital for optimizing care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze changes in the reasons for and results of infant tracheostomies over two decades.
  • To identify temporal shifts in tracheostomy indications and associated outcomes in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective review of infant tracheostomies performed between 1997 and 2020 at a tertiary children's hospital.
  • Analysis of patient demographics, indications, comorbidities, length of stay, complications, decannulation, and mortality across two distinct time periods.

Main Results:

  • A decrease in airway obstruction (80% to 50%) and an increase in long-term ventilation (17.5% to 40.6%) as primary indications for tracheostomy.
  • A significant reduction in early complications (30% to 6.3%) between the two epochs.
  • Overall outcomes including length of stay, total complication rate (53%), decannulation rate (61%), and mortality (17%) showed no significant changes.

Conclusions:

  • The primary indications for infant tracheostomy have evolved, with a notable shift towards long-term ventilation support.
  • While early complication rates have improved, overall outcomes and mortality associated with infant tracheostomy remain consistent over time.
Abstract

Keywords:
Airway obstructionInfantPediatricsTracheostomyVentilation

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