Tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective observational study

ABSTRACT

Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients require intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization with mechanical ventilation (MV). There is still no clear information about the timing and indications of tracheostomy in COVID-19 cases. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the timing of tracheostomy and outcomes of critical COVID-19 cases. Materials and Methods: This single-center, retrospective, observational study included patients with COVID-19 who were intubated in the ICU between November 1, 2020 and February 1, 2021, and underwent percutaneous tracheostomy. Demographic data of all patients, the day each patient underwent a percutaneous tracheostomy, the complications related to the procedure, laboratory data, mortality, MV duration, and ICU length of stay (LOS) were recorded.