Percutaneous tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective cohort study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on healthcare systems, particularly on critically ill patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV). Percutaneous tracheostomy (PT) has emerged as a potential strategy to facilitate weaning, reduce intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and optimize resource use. However, the timing, safety, and outcomes of PT in COVID-19 patients remain debatable.

This study aimed to describe the technical aspects of the procedure and evaluate the early safety of our technique to healthcare professionals, as well as the short-term factors affecting survival in 103 consecutive patients after tracheostomy.

We retrospectively analyzed patients with COVID-19 who underwent PT between March 2020 and June 2020 at Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo. The factors considered for analysis included age, sex, timing of tracheostomy, proportion of affected lungs, comorbidities, fraction of inspired oxygen on MV, and availability of professional private equipment. Univariate analysis was performed for screening, and variables with P < 0.20 were included in the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model.

Most patients were male, with a median age of 68 years. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (n = 55/52%), diabetes (n = 37/36%), and heart disease (n = 24/21%). Patients over 60 years old had reduced survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.35; P = 0.003), and those who underwent high nasal flow catheter (HR = 0.49; P = 0.02) and PT earlier (< 10 days) had better survival (HR = 0.37; P = 0.04).

Early PT in selected patients may reduce the duration of MV and lead to shorter ICU stays. The health system is overloaded by the scarcity of ventilators and beds for critically ill patients.