• Eyrun A Kristinsdottir, Kristinn Sigvaldason, Sigurbergur Karason, Rannveig J Jonasdottir, Regina Bodvarsdottir, Oddur Olafsson, Geir Tryggvason, Tomas Gudbjartsson, and Martin I Sigurdsson.
• Division of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Perioperative Services at Landspitali, the National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
• Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2022 Sep 1; 66 (8): 9961002996-1002.

BackgroundTracheostomies are commonly utilized in ICU patients due to prolonged mechanical ventilation, upper airway obstruction, or surgery in the face/neck region. However, practices regarding the timing of placement and utilization vary. This study provides a nationwide overview of tracheostomy utilization and outcomes in the ICU over a 14-year period.MethodsA retrospective study including all patients that received a tracheostomy during their ICU stay in Iceland between 2007 and 2020. Data were retrieved from hospital records on admission cause, comorbidities, indication for tracheostomy insertion, duration of mechanical ventilation before and after tracheostomy placement, extubation attempts, complications, length of ICU and hospital stay and survival. Descriptive statistics were provided, and survival analysis was performed using Cox regression.ResultsA total of 336 patients (median age 64 years, 33% females) received a tracheostomy during the study period. The most common indication for tracheostomy insertion was respiratory failure, followed by neurological disorders. The median duration of mechanical ventilation prior to tracheostomy insertion was 9 days and at least one extubation had been attempted in 35% of the cases. Percutaneous tracheostomies were 32%. The overall rate of complications was 25% and the most common short-term complication was bleeding (5%). In-hospital mortality was 33%. The one- and five-year survival rate was 60% and 44%, respectively.ConclusionsWe describe a whole-nation practice of tracheostomies. A notable finding is the relatively low rate of extubation attempts prior to tracheostomy insertion. Future work should focus on standardization of assessing the need for tracheostomy and the role of extubation attempts prior to tracheostomy placement.© 2022 Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.

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