Impact of early tracheostomy on withdrawal of mechanical ventilation in severe head injury patients: A comparison with late tracheostomy

Objectives: 1) To compare duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay (LOS) in intensive care unit (ICU) between early and late tracheostomy groups.2) To compare incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) during ICU stay 3) To compare mortality rates during ICU stay. Study Design & Settings: Prospective, randomized Material & Methods: 100 patients of isolated severe head injury with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score<8 on admission, were mechanically ventilated for 48 hours and reassessed after 48 hours. Those patients who continued with GCS