Tracheostomy for COVID-19 respiratory failure: timing, ventilatory characteristics, and outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Whereas data from the pre-pandemic era have demonstrated that tracheostomy can accelerate liberation from the ventilator, reduce need for sedation, and facilitate rehabilitation, concerns for healthcare worker safety have led to disagreement on tracheostomy placement in COVID-19 patients. Data on COVID-19 patients undergoing tracheostomy may inform best practices. Thus, we report a retrospective institutional cohort experience with tracheostomy in ventilated patients with COVID-19, examining associations between time to tracheostomy and duration of mechanical ventilation in relation to patient characteristics, clinical course, and survival.

Methods

Clinical data were extracted for all COVID-19 tracheostomies performed at a quaternary referral center from April-Jul

SUBMITTER: Farlow JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8339767 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature