title: Safety of bedside percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy in obese patients in the ICU.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the safety of bedside percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy in obese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case series of consecutive obese patients (body mass index > or = 27 kg/m(2)) with acute respiratory failure in a medical, cardiac, or surgical ICU unit who required tracheostomy for failure to wean and continued mechanical ventilatory support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen obese patients were identified and consented to the procedure. Bedside percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy was successfully performed in the ICU for all 13 patients. Procedural complications were limited to paratracheal tracheostomy tube placement in one patient, with immediate identification and appropriate correction. Postprocedural complications were limited to a cuff leak in one patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bedside percutaneous tracheostomy can be safely performed in obese patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Mansharamani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koziel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garland
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: LoCicero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Critchlow
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003422:Critical Care; D004106:Dilatation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014139:Tracheostomy; D015300:Ventilator Weaning