‘On the Right Trach?’ A review of the care received by patients who undergo tracheostomy

An National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) study published in June 2014 reviewed the care of more than 2000 patients who had a new tracheostomy formed during an 11-week period in 2013 in the UK, two thirds of which were inserted at the bedside in a critical care unit. Many more patients in hospitals now have a tracheostomy, and this article summarizes the lessons from the report which are particularly important for secondary care clinicians.