Percutaneous Tracheostomy - Systematic Comparison Among Three Methods: Prospective Study

• Systematic comparison [ Time Frame: 3 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
  a systematic comparison among the three methods of percutaneous tracheostomy in terms of safety: minor and major periprocedural morbidity and mortality, up to 30 days.
  
  

• Minor morbidity [ Time Frame: 3 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  Minor morbidity among patients, and a comparison between the in-house patients to the rest of hospitalized patients that come to the unit for the procedure, according to the same criteria.
  
  

Percutaneous tracheostomy is routinely performed in most intensive care units in the world in a number of indications, such as: airway obstruction, need for a long respiratory support, improvement in respiratory toilet, prophylaxis before head and neck procedures and cases of severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Several studies have shown that the procedure is safe and economically efficient in comparison to open surgical operation in the operating room.

In many places around the world it is customary in to perform the operation under the guidance of a bronchoscope to prevent damage to adjacent structures, high or low position of the tube, and damage to the posterior wall of the trachea and to approve the final position of the tube. However, the use of a bronchoscope depends on the availability of the equipment, knowledge of the operator, temporary occlusion of the trachea and hypercarbia, increased length of the procedure, and maintenance cost (disinfection, replacement, etc.).

Ultrasound that is performed before percutaneous procedure may be useful in preventing damage to para tracheal adjacent structures, and preventing high placement of the tube. The use of duplex sonography with real-time visualization of the needle path is done routinely in procedures such as central venous catheterization, and may improve the safety and accuracy of percutaneous tracheostomy without causing airway obstruction or hypercarbia. Feasibility of the procedure has been reviewed in an article by Rajajee et al .

In our institution as in a number of institutions in the country, it is acceptable to perform the operation by placing the tube on a high position near the vocal cords by direct laryngoscopy and then puncturing the trachea with a needle, by location of the anatomy by palpation of the neck.

So far, no systematic comparison has been made among the three methods.