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Inpatient outcomes after tracheostomy for pediatric tracheal stenosis: An analysis of the Kids' Inpatient Database

Saharsh Talwar1, Emily Kwon2, Wayne D Hsueh3

  • 1Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA.

American Journal of Otolaryngology
|May 8, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric tracheostomy for tracheal stenosis leads to long hospital stays and high costs, especially for infants. Targeted care is needed to improve outcomes for these vulnerable children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Otolaryngology
  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Healthcare Outcomes Research

Background:

  • Tracheal stenosis is a rare but serious condition in children.
  • Tracheostomy is often necessary for managing pediatric tracheal stenosis.
  • Inpatient outcomes for this population are not well-characterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate inpatient outcomes associated with tracheostomy in pediatric patients with tracheal stenosis.
  • To identify factors influencing length of stay, hospital charges, and mortality.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) from 2003-2019.
  • Identified pediatric patients (≤20 years) with tracheal stenosis undergoing tracheostomy using ICD codes.
  • Assessed length of stay, total hospital charges, and in-hospital mortality using descriptive and multivariable regression analyses.

Main Results:

  • 1480 patients were included; 77.4% were infants.
  • Median length of stay was 51 days; median inflation-adjusted charges were $389,221.
  • In-hospital mortality was 6.6%; infants and Medicaid patients had longer LOS. Pulmonary comorbidities increased mortality risk.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric tracheostomy for tracheal stenosis results in prolonged hospitalizations and significant costs.
  • Infants and children with comorbidities are at higher risk for adverse outcomes.
  • Development of targeted care pathways is crucial for this vulnerable patient group.
Abstract

Keywords:
Inpatient outcomesKids' Inpatient DatabasePediatric tracheostomyTracheal stenosis

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