title: Percutaneous tracheostomy in patients on anticoagulants.
abstract: To determine if percutaneous tracheostomy is safe in critically ill patients treated with anticoagulant therapies.
  
  
  
  Single-center retrospective study including all the patients who underwent percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) placement over a 1-year period in a 14-bed, cardiothoracic and vascular Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
  
  
  
  Patients demographics and characteristics, anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies, coagulation profile, performed technique and use of bronchoscopic guidance were retrieved.
  
  
  
  Thirty-six patients (2.7% of the overall ICU population) underwent PDT over the study period. Twenty-six (72%) patients were on anticoagulation therapy, 1 patient was on antiplatelet therapy and 2 further patients received prophylactic doses of low molecular weight heparin. Only 4 patients had normal coagulation profile and were not receiving anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapies. Overall, bleeding of any severity complicated 19% of PDT. No procedure-related deaths occurred.
  
  
  
  PDT was proved to be safe even in critically ill-patients treated with anticoagulant therapies. Larger prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pasin
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Frati
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cabrini
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Landoni
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nardelli
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bove
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Calabro
authors.forename: Anna Mara
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Scandroglio
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pappalardo
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zangrillo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014139:Tracheostomy
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants