Effects of early percutaneous dilational tracheostomy on patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation

Objective To evaluate the effect of early percutaneous dilational tracheostomy on patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation.Methods In the retrospective study,178 patients with percutaneous dilational tracheostomy in our hospital Critical Care Medicine were divided into two groups: early tracheotomy group (the mechanical ventilation ≤10 days) and tracheotomy late tracheotomy group (mechanical ventilation ＞ 10 days) from June 2009 to November 2012.The writers compared the incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia,the lengths of MV,length of stay in ICU,and 28-day mortality rates between the two groups.Results The incidence of VAP in group early tracheotomy was lower than those in late tracheotomy group,the lengths of MV and length of stay in ICU were shorter than those in late tracheotomy group.There were no significantly statistic differences in 28-day mortality rates between the two groups.Conclusions For patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation,early traeheostomy is associated with low VAP rate,shorter duration of MV,shorter ICU length of stay and without affecting 28-day mortality rates. Key words: Time of tracheostomy;  Prolonged mechanical ventilation;  Prognosis