title: Use of percutaneous tracheostomy in intensive care units in Spain. Results of a national survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the use of percutaneous tracheostomy in Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Spain, its practice, and current opinions on the technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  An e-mail or post survey was sent to 239 Spanish ICU directors. Pediatric ICUs and coronary units were excluded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred ICUs (41.8%) replied. The 44% ( n=44) of the ICUs that answered belonged to university hospitals and 53% ( n=53) had postgraduate teaching. Eighty-two percent ( n=82) used percutaneous tracheostomy. Griggs' Guide Wire Dilating Forceps and Ciaglia Blue Rhino were the most frequent techniques employed. In 30.5% of ICUs ( n=25) endoscopic guidance was used, in 15.7% ( n= 13) it was routine. In 24.4% ( n=20) some kind of long-term follow-up was carried out, but only in 12.2% ( n=10) was follow-up done routinely. In 58.5% of ICUs ( n=48) in which percutaneous tracheostomy is performed is this technique considered safer than surgical tracheostomy and in 86.4% ( n=70) percutaneous tracheostomy is the first choice for tracheostomy in the critically ill patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Percutaneous tracheostomy is a well-established technique in ICUs in Spain, and is considered the technique of choice for tracheostomy in critically ill patients. It is mainly performed without endoscopic guidance and follow-up is not usually carried out.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Intensiva, Hospital Virgen de la Luz, Hermandad Donantes de Sangre No.1, 16002 Cuenca, Spain. elizalde@iponet.es
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Añón
authors.forename: Maria Paz
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Escuela
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Abelardo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García de Lorenzo
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Montejo
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López
mesh_terms: D004106:Dilatation; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D013030:Spain; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*