• Hoi Jung Choi, Sung Hwa Paeng, Sung Tae Kim, Kun Su Lee, Moo Sung Kim, and Yong Tae Jung.
• Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Inje University, Busan Paik Hospital, Busan, Korea.
• J Korean Neurosurg S. 2013 Sep 1; 54 (3): 220-4.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the optimal time for tracheostomy by evaluating the benefits and safety of early versus late tracheostomy in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed a total of 254 patients with spinal cord injury. Of them, we selected 21 spinal cord injury patients who required tracheostomy due to long-term mechanical ventilation and analyzed their medical records. The patients were categorized into two groups. Early tracheostomy was performed day 1-10 from intubation in 10 patients and the late tracheostomy was performed after day 10 in 11 cases. We also evaluated the duration of mechanical ventilation, stay in the ICU and complications related to tracheostomy, the injury level of and clinical severity. All data was analyzed using SPSS 18.0/WIN.ResultsThe early tracheostomy offered clear advantages for shortening the total ICU stay (20.8 day vs. 38.0 day, p=0.010). There was also statistically significant reduction in the total length of time on mechanical ventilation (5.2 day vs. 29.2 day, p=0.009). However, the reductions in the incidence of pneumonia (40% vs. 82%) and the length of ICU stay post to tracheostomy (6 day vs. 15 day) were found to be statistically not significant. There were also no statistically significant differences in the injury level and clinical severity between the groups.ConclusionWe concluded that the early tracheostomy (at least 10 days) is beneficial for SCI patients who are likely to require prolonged mechanical ventilation.

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