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| Research article summary (published 30 Dec 2007): |
Pediatric tracheostomies: a recent experience from one academic center.
Full Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To describe the indications, surgical timing, length of stay, hospital charges, and discharge disposition of pediatric tracheostomy patients. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Large urban academic pediatric hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy children and adolescents undergoing tracheostomy placement over a 24-month period. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Hospital database records were used to determine demographics and readmission rates, tabulate charges, and confirm deaths. Indications for tracheostomies included airway obstruction, inadequate airway protection, chronic lung disease, neuromuscular weakness, and central hypoventilation. Surgical timing of the tracheostomy was grouped into three categories: prolonged mechanical ventilation, elective, or emergent. The overall median hospital stay was 46 days (range 14-254) with a median hospital charge of $136,718 (range $36,237-$913,934). The prolonged mechanical ventilation group underwent a tracheostomy after a median of 26 days (mean 37.5 days) on the ventilator. Eighty-one percent of children were discharged home; 63% of children were readmitted within 6 months, with 11% requiring four or more admissions. The six-month mortality rate was 13%; no deaths were related to the tracheostomy. CONCLUSIONS: Children with tracheostomies are a heterogeneous population. Children who require tracheostomy for long-term mechanical ventilation have longer hospital stays than children who receive a tracheotomy on an elective or emergent basis. Hospital readmissions should be anticipated in this complex group of patients.
Author information
Author/s: Graf, Jeanine M (JM); Montagnino, Barbara A (BA); Hueckel, Remí (R); McPherson, Mona L (ML);
Affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA. jgraf(-atsign-)bcm.edu
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article
Journal: Pediatric critical care medicine : a journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies (Pediatr Crit Care Med), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2008-Jan; vol 9 (issue 1) : pp 96-100
Dates: Created 2008/05/14; Completed 2008/06/26;
PMID: 18477921, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
Comments and Corrections
CommentIn: Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2008 Jan;9(1):126-7. (PMID: 18185130)
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