Prolonged oro- or nasotracheal intubation

Area of Science:

• Medical Sciences
• Pulmonology
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Endotracheal intubation is a critical intervention for airway management.
• Prolonged intubation presents potential risks and complications.
• Evaluating outcomes of extended endotracheal intubation is essential for clinical practice.

Observation:

• A study included 6 patients with prolonged endotracheal intubation (55-155 days).
• All included patients survived extubation and hospital discharge.
• Four patients survived long-term follow-up; 2 died from unrelated causes.

Findings:

• Hoarseness was the most frequent complication, affecting 4 patients.
• Three patients intubated over 50 days did not survive, but deaths were unrelated to intubation.
• No deaths were attributed to the endotracheal intubation itself.

Implications:

• Advances in nasotracheal tubes, biocompatible materials, and cuff inflation techniques have reduced long-term intubation risks.
• Complications from tracheostomy can be less frequent but more severe than those from long-term nasotracheal intubation.
• This suggests that prolonged nasotracheal intubation can be a safer alternative to tracheostomy in select cases.