Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
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Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · Feb 2015
Review Meta AnalysisEarly versus late tracheostomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To investigate whether early tracheostomy leads to improved outcomes compared with late tracheostomy. ⋯ Early tracheostomy performed within 7 days of intubation was associated with a decrease in intensive care unit length of stay. No difference was found in hospital mortality. Insufficient data currently exist to make conclusions about the effect of early tracheostomy on the incidence of pneumonia, length of mechanical ventilation, laryngotracheal injury, or sedation use.