Tracheostomy in children: A 9-year experience in a tertiary hospital in Korea

Abstract

Purpose: Tracheostomy has been increasingly performed in children, along with the improvements in neonatal and pediatric intensive care. The objective of this study was to describe the indications, comorbidities, complications, and outcomes of tracheostomy in children in a tertiary hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective study of children who required tracheostomy in a tertiary hospital in Korea between April 2009 and March 2018. The medical records of the patients were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Results: A total of 41 children underwent tracheostomy. The median age of the patients was 11.9 months (interquartile range [IQR], 5.4-179.2 months), and 20 (48.8%) were boys. Tracheostomy was performed commonly in respiratory disease (12 [29.2%]) and neurologic disease (17 [41.5%]). The indications of tracheostomy differed according to patient age. There were trends toward longer length of intubation (median, 78.0 days; IQR, 36.0-185.0 days), longer hospitalization (213.3 +/- 154.5 days), higher decannulation rate (32.0%) and lower complications (12.0%) in patients who received tracheostomy as an infant/toddler. Conclusion: Regarding pediatric tracheostomy in this study, there were bimodal age distribution and consequential clinical differences depending on patient age.