Complications of tracheostomy

ABSTRACT

A study of 44 tracheostomies was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi to see the complications. All tracheostomies were performed under general or local anaesthesia in operation theatre. Portex cuffed tracheostomy tube was used in 83.6%, Vygon [PVC] tracheostomy tube in 9% and Chevalier-Jackson tracheostomy tube in 4.5% cases. The rate of complications was 27.2%. The intermediate complications included surgical emphysema and infection of the wound. There was no death related to tracheostomy however, deaths not related to tracheostomy were 20.35%