Objectives:
Deciding to choose cuffed or uncuffed tubes in tracheostomy applications is also a topic of debate in children. The aim was determining the standards of tracheostomy procedure by evaluating the early term results in children.
Materials and Methods:
Patients who underwent elective tracheostomy procedures between January 2018- January 2023 were included. The ages of the patients, the duration of preoperative intubation, the types of tracheostomy tubes, and the early postoperative complications were examined. The patients were grouped as infants (1-12 months) and children (1-18 years) according to their age and cuffed and uncuffed tube group according to the tracheostomy tube type. The distribution of postoperative complications between age groups and tube-types was examined. Postoperative complications were also investigated according to preoperative intubation time.
Results:
A total of 43 patients: 24 (55.8%) in the infant age group and 19 (44.1%) in the pediatric age group. According to tracheostomy tube types: 21 (48.8%) were cuffed and 22 (51.2%) were uncuffed. Preoperative intubation time was 33.6±2.03 (minimum: 12, maximum: 113) days. Fourteen patients had postoperative complications. Preoperative intubation time was significantly longer in the infant age group than in the pediatric age group (p=0.041). There was a significant relationship between postoperative complications in the infant age group, and cuffed groups (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
The results obtained in the study suggest that by reducing the preoperative intubation time, early postoperative complications after tracheostomy can be reduced. In addition, it is thought that cuffed tracheostomy cannulas can be used safely in the early postoperative period in children.
Keywords: Tracheostomy, Infant, Child, Cuffed, Uncuffed
