Impact of early tracheotomy for successful prognosis of patients

Abstract

Introduction: Complications associated with intra-hospital infections are an important clinical issue determining the further condition of hospitalized patients. One of the most invasive and of high risk of complications in ICU conditions is the otolaryngological procedure of opening the anterior wall of the trachea, aimed at introducing the tube into the lumen of the respiratory tract, enabling subsequent ventilation. Epidemiological data indicate that in Poland the percentage of patients admitted to the ICU annually, due to respiratory failure, who require the implementation of mechanical ventilation reaches 74%, where 41% is qualified for prolonged ventilation and requires a tracheostomy. The aim: The epidemiological analysis of patients under the care of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care of University Hospital in Bialystok. Particular attention was paid to patients who underwent tracheostomy. Material and methods: The study material was collected based on the analysis of the patient’s individual treatment process cards, the results of microbiological tests functioning in the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the University Hospital in Bialystok. 115 patients were qualified for the study, including 48 women and 67 men. Results: Retrospective studies were based on medical records of 115 patients treated in the Intensive Care Unit of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital in Bialystok in 2017-2018. The analysis involved patients after tracheostomy tube implementation, 48 were women and 67 men. Among the analyzed cases, 53 deaths (46.1%) occurred, and 62 subjects were discharged from the ICU (53.9%). Conclusions: Early tracheostomy significantly improved patients’ prognosis and reduced the risk of death. Cardio-respiratory failure with respiratory arrest may often be associated with the need for prolonged mechanical ventilation applied in patients with the aforementioned disease. Therefore, prevention in the form of early tracheostomy is important.