Tracheostomy is one of the oldest and longest-established surgical procedures. The term tracheotomy refers to the surgical opening of the trachea, whereas tracheostomy refers to the permanent fixation of the trachea to the skin of the neck.
The procedure is performed in neurosurgery in patients requiring long-term mechanical ventilation. In neurosurgery, neurovascular patients account for approximately half of all patients requiring a tracheostomy, followed by patients with traumatic brain injury, who account for approximately 30%1.
Complications
Complications may include pneumonitis, pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and tracheal stenosis2.
References
Teoh, W. H. L., K. Y. C. Goh, and C. Chan. "The role of early tracheostomy in critically ill neurosurgical patients." Annals-Academy of Medicine Singapore 30.3 (2001): 234-238. ↩ ↩
Miller, Jimmy D., and John P. Kapp. "Complications of tracheostomies in neurosurgical patients." Surgical neurology 22.2 (1984): 186-188. ↩ ↩