Open AccessSurgical Tracheostomy Outcomes in COVID‐19–Positive Patients
Author(s) -
Courtney Alona,
Lignos Leda,
Ward Patrick A.,
Vizcaychipi Marcela P.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
oto open
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2473-974X
DOI - 10.1177/2473974x20984998
Subject(s) - medicine , mechanical ventilation , weaning , intensive care unit , covid-19 , retrospective cohort study , sedation , surgery , demographics , intensive care medicine , anesthesia , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , demography , sociology
Objective The aim of this case series was to demonstrate that surgical tracheostomy can be undertaken safely in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and that it is an effective weaning tool. Study Design Retrospective case series. Setting Single academic teaching hospital in London. Methods All adult patients admitted to the adult intensive care unit (AICU), diagnosed with severe COVID‐19 infection and requiring surgical tracheostomy between the March 10, 2020, and May 1, 2020, were included. Data collection focused upon patient demographics, AICU admission data, tracheostomy‐specific data, and clinical outcomes. Results Twenty patients with COVID‐19 underwent surgical tracheostomy. The main indication for tracheostomy was to assist in respiratory weaning. Patients had undergone mechanical ventilation for a median of 16.5 days prior to surgical tracheostomy. Tracheostomy remained in situ for a median of 12.5 days. Sixty percent of patients were decannulated at the end of the data collection period. There were no serious immediate or short‐term complications. Surgical tracheostomy facilitated significant reduction in intravenous sedation at 48 hours after tracheostomy formation. There was no confirmed COVID‐19 infection or reported sickness in the operating surgical or anesthetic teams. Conclusion Surgical tracheostomy has been demonstrated to be an effective weaning tool in patients with severe COVID‐19 infection.