COMPLICATIONS OF EMERGENCY TRACHEOSTOMY

Objective: To find various complications of tracheostomy and their causes and means/ways for there preventions.Material and Methods: This study was conducted from 1st March 1996 to 28th February 1997 at Post-Graduate Medical Institute Govt: Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. This study included fifty patients with respiratory distrees due to various reasons. All the tracheostomies were performed in OT either under General Anesthesia or local Anesthesia. In 68% patients Portex cuffed tracheostomy tubes were used and in 32% of cases silver tubes were used.Results: Comment operative complications were excessive bleeding 6%, cardiac arrests 4% Pneumothorax and surgical emphysema 2% each. Post operative complication were tube obstruction 6% infection 4%, accidental decanulation, tracheal stenosis, difficult recanulation and keloid formation 2% each.Conclusion: Haemorrhage is the most common intra operative complication, which could be prevented/reduced by good surgical techniques. While tubal obstruction is the commonest postoperative complication which needs meticulous postoperative care.