Healing of lesions caused by cuffed tracheostomy tubes and their late sequelae; a follow-up study

The healing of tracheostomy and cuff-induced tracheal injury was followed up in 48 tracheostomized patients (44 men and 4 women). The patients were studied by means of tracheoscopy, fluoroscopy and tracheography, with a positive contrast medium. At extubation, tracheoscopy revealed 12 mild, 23 moderate and 13 severe injuries at the cuff level. Three months after extubation, the stoma had closed in 89% of the patients studied. In 85% of the patients, the side wall of the stoma was found to have collapsed inwards and in 71% scars were observed at the cuff level. No significant changes took place after the follow-up study at 3 months. At tracheography it was found that narrowing of the tracheal diameter at the stomal level was of only mild or moderate degree (i.e. 0-33%). There was not a single instance of severe stenosis. At the cuff level, a slight inward collapse of the side wall was observed in one patient, and in all the other patients the lumen was normal. Fluoroscopy did not reveal severe tracheomalacia in any patient. Increased mobility of the stomal scar, especially in connection with coughing was seen in some patients. One tracheo-innominate artery erosion and one bleeding granulation tissue at the stoma were confirmed during follow-up. Surgical trauma to the trachea at the stoma seems to be a more potent cause of subsequent narrowing of the trachea than the cuff. Even though severe injuries may also heal with few sequelae, the use of tracheostomy tubes with large, low-pressure cuffs, which have been shown to cause less damage to the trachea, is indicated.