title: Surgical aspects of tracheostomy in children.
abstract: Tracheostomy involves the surgical formation of a stoma between the trachea and the skin. It is classically thought of as a treatment to alleviate airway obstruction; however, its clinical applications are varied and include long-term ventilatory support, being an aid in pulmonary toilet and use as a covering procedure during airway surgery. In this article, we review the surgical aspects of tracheostomy, including preoperative considerations, tracheostomy tube choice, operative technique and postoperative complications. Postoperative care of the child with a tracheostomy will also be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Otolaryngology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK. cochrl@gosh.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Lesley-Ann
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Cochrane
authors.forename: C Martin
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bailey
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy; D054047:Surgical Stomas; D014132:Trachea / Q000601:surgery*; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*