title: Percutaneous tracheotomy in bone marrow transplant patients with severe thrombocytopenia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of percutaneous tracheotomy in bone marrow transplant patients with severe thrombocytopenia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective outcome study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of 26 percutaneous tracheotomies was performed at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. Age, sex, underlying disease, reason for intubation, complete blood count, coagulation profile, and the incidence of renal failure were collected. All patients received 6 units of platelets one hour prior to the procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean platelets count was 14,300 +/- 5500. Twenty-five of the 26 percutaneous tracheotomies were completed successfully, without any intraoperative complications. One patient suffered from moderate bleeding during the procedure, which was immediately stopped and converted to open tracheotomy. In the postoperative period 4 patients suffered from mild bleeding around the stoma, which was managed conservatively. No other late complications were encountered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Percutaneous tracheotomy can be safely performed in patients with severe thrombocytopenia when the surgeon and anesthesiologist are experienced in the procedure, and platelets are given perioperatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. ariegor@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gordin
authors.forename: Aviram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Netzer
authors.forename: Henry Zvi
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Joachims
authors.forename: Avishay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000503:physiopathology; D014140:Tracheotomy / Q000009:adverse effects