ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in an increase in the number of patients necessitating prolonged mechanical ventilation. Data on patients with COVID-19 undergoing tracheostomy indicating timing and outcomes are very limited. Our study illustrates--- outcomes for surgical tracheotomies performed on COVID-19 patients in Tanzania. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study conducted at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. RESULTS: Nineteen patients with COVID-19 underwent surgical tracheotomy between 16th March and 31st December 2021. All surgical tracheostomies were performed in the operating theatre. The average duration of intubation prior to tracheotomy and tracheostomy to ventilator liberation was 16 days and 27 days respectively. Only five patients were successfully liberated from the ventilator, decannulated, and discharged successfully. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first and largest study describing tracheotomy outcomes in COVID-19 patients in Tanzania. Our results revealed a high mortality rate. Multicenter studies in the private and public sectors are needed in Tanzania to determine optimal timing, identification of patients, and risk factors predictive of improved outcomes.