• Chien-Tung Chiu, Yu-Hsiu Chung, Hung-I Lu, and Meng-Chih Lin.
• Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
• Chang Gung Med J. 2005 Dec 1;28(12):829-36.

BackgroundThis is a prospective study of peri-procedure and post-procedure complications and successful weaning of long-term mechanically-ventilated patients following video bronchoscopy-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT).MethodsVideo bronchoscopy guided PDT was performed for long-term mechanically-ventilated patients in a medical intensive care unit (ICU). Peri-procedure and post-procedure complications were prospectively observed and evaluated. The success of weaning and the factors affecting the outcomes of these patients after PDT were also investigated.ResultsA total of 107 patients with mechanical ventilation were enrolled. The average duration of trans-laryngeal intubation was 27.8 +/- 18.4 days which was longer than reported in previous studies. There were 70 men and 37 women, all of whom underwent bedside PDT at a medical ICU. The complication rates during and post-procedure were 8.4% and 14%, respectively. The most common complications were desaturation during the procedure and bleeding during the follow-up period. Only one death was procedure related (0.9%). After PDT, 50 patients (46.7%) were successfully weaned from mechanical ventilation. The rate of successful weaning (p = 0.02) increased while the days to achievement (p < 0.001) decreased with decreasing duration of trans-laryngeal intubation. Gender, age, body weight, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, duration of procedure, endotracheal tube diameter and position, and history of self-extubation were not related to successful weaning.ConclusionsPDT is a bedside procedure with relatively low complication and mortality rates when performed for patients on long-term mechanical ventilation in a medical ICU. The previous duration of trans-laryngeal intubation was an important determinant for successful weaning after PDT.

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