Pediatric tracheostomy: a ten-year analysis in the Intensive Care Unit of Sancti Spiritus “José Martí” Pediatric Teaching Hospital

Introduction There has been a significant change in the role of pediatric tracheostomy over the last twenty years. Obstruction of the upper airway caused by infectious agents is no longer the leading cause of tracheostomy in children. Structural anomalies of the upper airway as well as the need for prolonged ventilator assistance have become the most frequent indication for pediatric tracheostomy. Objective The purpose of this paper is to assess the incidence, indications, complications, and role in mortality of tracheostomy in our pediatric population. Methods A retrospective descriptive study of pediatric patients who underwent tracheostomy was conducted between 1999 and 2008 in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the José Martí de Sancti Spiritus Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Cuba. Results Tracheostomy was performed in 14 patients during the period of the study (0.5% of admitted patients). Nine of them (64.2%) were younger than one year. The most frequent indication for the procedure was the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation in patients with neurologic disorders in 10 patients (71.42%). Upper airway malformations and acute infections were infrequent indications for tracheostomy. The most frequent complications were infectious in 10 patients (71.4%) and obstruction in four patients (28.5%). The following germs were found: Pseudomona aeruginosa in six patients (60%), Staphylococcus aureus in three patients (30%), and Enterobacter cloacae in three patients (30%). Furthermore, four patients were successfully decannulated (28.5%), five patients died (35.7%) but only in one (7.14%), death could be attributed to tracheostomy. Conclusion The need for prolonged mechanical ventilation in patients with neurologic disorders was the main indication for tracheostomy in our pediatric population; most of these children were younger than one year. The procedure had little impact in overall mortality in this group of patients