Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine
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Airway access for mechanical ventilation (MV) can be provided either by orotracheal intubation (OTI) or tracheostomy tube. During episodes of acute respiratory failure, patients are commonly ventilated through an orotracheal tube that represents an easy and rapid initial placement of the airway device. ⋯ The aim of this review is to assess the frequency and performance of different surgical or percutaneous dilational tracheostomy and timing and safety procedures associated with the use of fiberoptic bronchoscopy and ultrasounds. Moreover, we analyzed the performance based on National European surveys to assess the current tracheostomy practice in ICUs.