Complicaciones en pacientes traqueostomizados atendidos en el Hospital Roberto Gilbert Elizalde, en el periodo 01 de enero del 2015 al 31 de diciembre del 2019.

Abstract

Introduction: The placement of a tracheostomy tube, although it has become a relatively common procedure, is not without complications. The statistics of reference to the subject in Ecuador are scarce in pediatric patients. The main objective of this study was to identify the main early and/or late intraoperative complications in pediatric tracheostomized patients. Methods: Croos sectional, retrospective, descriptive, observational study that included patients from 0 months to 17 years of age who underwent tracheostomy at the Roberto Gilbert Elizalde Hospital, between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019. Results: A total of 61 patients were included. The female sex predominated and the average age was 3.9 years. The most frequent indications for tracheostomy were prolonged mechanical ventilation (62.3%), and subglottic stenosis (19.8%). The mechanical complication (leak) and pneumothorax both occurred with a frequency of 3.3%, followed by hemorrhage in 1.6%. The most frequent early complications were: tracheostome obstruction (14.7%), and mechanical (leak) (4.9%). The most prevalent late complications corresponded to obstruction (24.6%), granuloma (14.7%) and accidental decannulation (11.5%). Conclusions: The most frequent indications to perform the procedure were prolonged mechanical ventilation and subglottic stenosis. Postoperative complications were rare, tracheostome obstruction was the most common early complication, while obstruction and granuloma were the most frequent late complications. No cases of mortality directly associated with the tracheostomy procedure or its complications were reported.