title: Early tracheostomy versus prolonged endotracheal intubation in severe head injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To see if early tracheostomy (fifth day) reduces duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, incidence of pneumonia and mortality in comparison with prolonged intubation (PI) in patients with head injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were prospectively included in this study if they met the following criteria: isolated head injury, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score < or =8 on first and fifth day, with cerebral contusion on CT scan. On the fifth day, randomization was done in two groups: early tracheostomy group (T group, n = 31) and prolonged endotracheal intubation group (I group, n = 31). We evaluated total time of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, pneumonia incidence and mortality. Complications related to each technique were noted. Analysis of data were performed using Yates and Kruskall Walis tests. p < 0.05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two groups were comparable in term of age, sex, and Simplified Acute Physiologic Score (SAPS). The mean time of mechanical ventilatory support was shorter in T group (14.5 +/- 7.3) versus I group (17.5 +/- 10.6) (p = 0.02). After pneumonia was diagnosed, mechanical ventilatory time was 6 +/- 4.7 days for ET group versus 11.7 +/- 6.7 days for PEI group (p = 0.01). There was no difference in frequency of pneumonia or mortality between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In severe head injury early tracheostomy decreases total days of mechanical ventilation or mechanical ventilation time after development of pneumonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit (P33), Ibn Rochd Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco. mabouderka@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Moulay Ahmed
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bouderka
authors.forename: Bouchra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fakhir
authors.forename: Abderrahmane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouaggad
authors.forename: Badreddine
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hmamouchi
authors.forename: Driss
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hamoudi
authors.forename: Abdeslam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harti
mesh_terms: D018806:APACHE; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome