Does length of intubation prior to tracheostomy affect intensive care unit length of stay?

Publication date: Available online 27 September 2017
Source:Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology
Author(s): Shaun R. Young, Gary F. Bouloux, Sebastian D. Perez, Shelly Abramowicz
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine if length of intubation prior to tracheotomy (LIT) affects length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU).Materials and MethodsThis was a retrospective case series of patients who had open tracheotomies at Grady Memorial Hospital by the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) service. Medical records were reviewed to document patient demographics, etiology for ventilator dependence, and complications. The primary predictor variable was LIT and primary outcome variable was length of stay in ICU after tracheotomy. Statistical analysis was performed (significance p<.05).ResultsThere were 115 subjects (mean age 54 years old) included in the study. Majority received tracheotomies due to prolonged mechanical ventilation secondary to a medical comorbidity. Intraoperative complications were cardiac arrest and difficulty accessing trachea. Postoperative complications were bleeding. Postoperatively, majority of patients were discharged from the ICU or weaned off mechanical ventilation within 5 days. The correlation between LIT and ICU stay was not statistically significant but the trend was positive.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that patients undergoing an earlier tracheotomy were more likely to have an earlier discharge from the ICU.



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