RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Tracheostomy Decannulation
JF Respiratory Care
FD American Association for Respiratory Care
SP 1076
OP 1081
VO 55
IS 8
A1 Heidi H O'Connor
A1 Alexander C White
YR 2010
UL http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/55/8/1076.abstract
AB Tracheostomy tubes are placed for a variety of reasons, including failure to wean from mechanical ventilation, inability to protect the airway due to impaired mental status, inability to manage excessive secretions, and upper-airway obstruction. A tracheostomy tube is required in approximately 10% of patients receiving mechanical ventilation and allows the patient to move to a step-down unit or long-term care hospital. The presence of a tracheostomy tube in the trachea can cause complications, including tracheal stenosis, bleeding, infection, aspiration pneumonia, and fistula formation from the trachea to either the esophagus or the innominate artery. Final removal of the tracheostomy tube is an important step in the recovery from chronic critical illness and can usually be done once the indication for the tube placement has resolved.