COMPARISON OF PERCUTANEOUS DILATATIONAL TRACHEOSTOMY WITH SURGICAL TRACHEOSTOMY

Rationale: Tracheostomy is done mostly in critically ill patients, many of whom may not survive. We still do not know the long term complications of tracheostomy itself; tracheal and subglottic stenosis, and tracheomalacia. Objectives: To compare the complications of surgical tracheostomy (ST) versus percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) by means of MRI control up to 1 month after closed tracheostomy. Results: There was no death related to tracheostomy. In both groups there were two preoperative complications: one minor hemorrhage and one subcutaneous empysema in the ST group, and one minor bleeding and one puncture of endotracheal tube cuff in the PDT group. When the early and the late postoperative complications of the two groups were compared, it was observed that in the ST group, five early (one minor bleeding, three stomal infections and one accidental decannulation), and two late (one peristomal granuloma and one persistent stoma) postoperative complications had occurred. In the PDT group, four early (minor bleeding) and two late postoperative complications (two minor bleeding) were observed. MRI of