Outcome in tracheostomized patients with severe traumatic brain injury following implementation of a specialized multidisciplinary tracheostomy team.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of a specialized multidisciplinary tracheostomy team on outcome of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI).


METHODS
Retrospective study with historical controls.


METHODS
Twenty-seven patients with sTBI tracheostomized before implementation of the tracheostomy team approach and 34 patients followed by the team.


METHODS
A regional level 1 tertiary care trauma center, McGill University Health Centre-Montreal General Hospital.


METHODS
Time to decannulation, length of stay (LOS), Passy-Muir speaking valve use, and extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS-E) scores given at acute care discharge.


RESULTS
The groups were similar for injury severity, age, and premorbid health conditions. Postteam patients had a significantly shorter LOS (P = .025) and more of them used Passy-Muir speaking valves (P = .004). Furthermore, there was a trend toward decreased time to decannulation in the postteam group. GOS-E scores did not differ significantly between groups (P > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Implementation of the tracheostomy team appears to have had positive clinical benefits for this population.
McGill University Health Centre-Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Joanne
J
LeBlanc
Judith Robillard
JR
Shultz
Alena
A
Seresova
Elaine
E
de Guise
Julie
J
Lamoureux
Nancy
N
Fong
Judith
J
Marcoux
Mohammad
M
Maleki
Kosar
K
Khwaja
D018806:APACHE; D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D055815:Young Adult