ABSTRACT
Background: Tracheostomy care begins in the intensive care unit [ICU] and after stabilization, the patient is transferred to a general ward, decannulated or discharged. Insufficient experience of staff caring for tracheostomy patients may lead to suboptimal care and increased morbidity
Objective: To assess the impact of a specialized multidisciplinary tracheostomy team on tracheostomy care
Design: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Setting: ENT Department, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain
Method: The data was collected from the ICU and medical wards from January 2009 to December 2014. Criteria assessed were tracheostomy tube used, decannulation time and incidence of tracheostomy-related complications
Result: Six hundred forty-four patients post-tracheostomy were reviewed. One hundred twenty-nine [20%] patients were decannulated between one month to 3 years; 28 [4.3%] patients had complications. No death was recorded due to tracheostomy-related complications
Conclusion: There was a significant reduction in tracheostomy complications due to specialized tracheostomy team. The decannulation time was successfully reduced and an increased number of decannulated patients