title: Paediatric tracheostomy: Sheffield experience 1979-1999.
abstract: We have reviewed our experience of tracheostomy in children over the past 20 years at Sheffield Children's Hospital. One hundred and forty-eight tracheostomies were performed in 143 children aged one day to 13 years old (average 27 months). Sixty-five per cent of patients were < one year old. The indications for tracheostomy were upper airways' obstruction in 72 per cent, and assisted ventilation/ bronchopulmonary toilet in 28 per cent. The commonest single reason was acquired subglottic stenosis (SGS) in infants, accounting for 25 per cent of tracheostomies (36/143). The complication rate of tracheostomy was 46 per cent, most commonly granulation tissue formation. There were four deaths directly due to the tracheostomy: two accidental decannulations and two obstructions. Eighty-nine children were decannulated under our care. The average time until decannulation was 25 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Katie I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Midwinter
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carrie
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Bull
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020878:Device Removal / Q000009:adverse effects; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006097:Granulation Tissue; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome