title: Tracheostomy in pediatric burn patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tracheostomy is often performed in the pediatric burn population to establish secure airways. Tracheostomy is safe in this population, but the duration of tracheostomy may be related to age and extent and severity of burn. We hypothesized that burn related factors and not age determine the time to removal of a tracheostomy in pediatric burn patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 5-year retrospective review was performed for pediatric burn patients (age ≤18 years) who underwent tracheostomy. Patients were divided into three groups by age (group 1: 0 to ≤2 years, group 2: >2 to ≤12 years, group 3: >12 to ≤18 years). Data collected included: age, total body surface area burn injured (TBSA), gender, mechanism of injury, diagnosis of inhalation injury, mortality, time from injury to admission, time from admission to placement of tracheostomy, time of injury to placement of tracheostomy, duration of tracheostomy, days of mechanical ventilation, and tracheostomy related complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  45 patients were reviewed. There were no differences in TBSA, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, and mortality between the three groups. Additionally, there were no differences in ventilator days and duration of tracheostomy. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that TBSA and not age independently increased the duration of tracheostomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tracheostomy duration is dependent on the extent of burn in pediatric burn patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Burn Surgery, Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States. Electronic address: soman.sen@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Soman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.affiliation: Middlemore Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heather
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Burn Surgery, Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Burn Surgery, Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Greenhalgh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002056:Burns / Q000601:surgery*; D002059:Burns, Inhalation / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014139:Tracheostomy
keywords: Pediatric burn injury; Tracheostomy; Tracheostomy duration