Surgical infections
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Surgical infections · Feb 2013
Comparative StudyPercutaneous versus open tracheostomy: comparison of procedures and surgical site infections.
Tracheostomy is one of the most common procedures performed in trauma patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Few studies have evaluated the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) specifically in a trauma population. Our objective was to compare the incidence of SSI after open versus percutaneous tracheostomy and to discern whether there were any differences in outcome. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the largest study of the benefit of percutaneous tracheostomy in a critically injured trauma population. The risk of SSI is significantly lower after percutaneous than open tracheostomy.