Factors Associated With Accidental Decannulation in Tracheostomized Children

BACKGROUND: Tracheostomy has many benefits for pediatric patients in the ICU, but it is also associated with complications. Accidental decannulation (AD) is a frequent complication and leading cause of mortality in this population. Our study aimed to determine the factors associated with AD in tracheostomized pediatric subjects.

METHODS: This was a case-control study with 1:2 allocation ratio. Participants were tracheostomized children hospitalized in a prolonged mechanical ventilation hospital between 2013–2018. Each child who experienced decannulation during the study period was included as a case at the time of the event. Controls were obtained from the same population and were defined as subjects without an AD event during the same period.

RESULTS: One hundred forty subjects were hospitalized at Josefina Martinez Hospital at the time of whom 41 were selected as cases and 82 as controls. Median (interquartile range) age was 20 (12–36) months, being 60% male. The median days from tracheostomy placement to AD event were 364 (167–731) d. Eighty-four percent of subjects were mechanically ventilated. AD mainly occurred by self-decannulation (53.7%). The risk of AD was higher in children who reached the midline in a sitting position (odds ratio 9.5 [95% CI 1.59−53.90]), inner diameter (ID) tracheostomy tube size ≤ 4.0 mm (odds ratio 5.18 [95% CI 1.41−19.06]), and who had been hospitalized in hospital rooms with a low ratio of nursing staff for each subject (1 nurse to 4 subjects) (odds ratio 4.48 [95% CI 1.19−16.80]).

CONCLUSIONS: Factors associated with a higher risk of AD in tracheostomized children included the ability to reach the midline in a sitting position, the use of a smaller tracheostomy tube (≤ 4.0 mm ID), and lower supervision from staff.