• Lillian Liao, John Myers, Joe Johnston, Michael Corneille, Daren Danielson, Daniel Dent, Ronald Stewart, Basil Pruitt, H David Root, and Stephen Cohn.
• Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
• Am. J. Surg. 2005 Dec 1; 190 (6): 923-6.

BackgroundA retrospective review of our experience with percutaneous tracheostomy was performed to determine our complication rate and pattern of use since this modality was introduced at our institution.MethodsA retrospective chart review captured all patients in whom tracheostomy was performed or supervised by a trauma/critical care faculty member. Dates of hospital admission, ICU admission, intubation, discontinuation of mechanical ventilation, type and location of procedure, procedural complications, Injury Severity Score, charges, and patient demographics were collected. Percutaneous tracheostomy (PT) and open tracheostomy (OT) experiences were compared.ResultsThree hundred sixty-eight tracheostomies were performed (190 OT and 178 PT). The average time to tracheostomy (TTT) for PT patients decreased from 12.7 to 7.4 days. The average TTT for OT patients remained stable at 14.0 days. The complication rate was 3.5%, with 4 complications (1.5%) associated with OT and 9 complications (5.1%) associated with PT. All complications in the PT group occurred before using a single dilator system. The 9 complications in the PT group occurred among 5 surgeons, all before their 11th attempt. PT saves 444 dollars in charges per procedure.ConclusionOT continues to be a safe method of performing tracheostomies. PT has a steep learning curve but can be mastered quickly. Benefits include a shorter time to tracheostomy, elimination of patient transport, and saving in charges. Initial PT attempts should be supervised by an experienced surgeon.

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