Early Versus Late Tracheostomy in Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patients: A Comparative Study

Samrand Fattah Ghazi; Nima Nazari; Mohammad Taghi Beigmohammadi; Masoud Ramezani; Mohammadreza Salehi; Yeganeh Abedipour

doi:10.18502/acta.v61i6.13831

Samrand Fattah Ghazi Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Nima Nazari Department of Anesthesiology, Children’s Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Taghi Beigmohammadi Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Masoud Ramezani Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammadreza Salehi Department of Infectious Diseases, Research Center for Antibiotic Stewardship and Antimicrobial Resistance, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Yeganeh Abedipour Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/acta.v61i6.13831

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Late tracheostomy; Early tracheostomy; Airway management

Abstract

The decision to perform tracheostomy during the COVID-19 pandemic has been based mainly on practical and empirical standards. Also, the amount of scientific evidence to determine the exact timing of tracheostomy in patients with severe COVID-19 on mechanical ventilation is not significant. We conducted a retrospective cohort study on mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients from April 25, 2021 to January 25, 2022 in intensive care units of Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, Iran. The 30-day survival of patients was calculated and compared between patients under tracheostomy and those without tracheostomy. A number of 135 COVID-19 cases (75 patients in the intubated group and 60 patients in the tracheostomy group) were included in this study. The mean age of the population was 53.6±12.4. The overall mortality rate was 101 (74.8%). The 30-day mortality rate was significantly higher in the intubated group (90.6%) than in the tracheostomy group (55%) (P< 0.001). The mortality rate was 60% in the early (≤ 7 days) tracheostomy group and 50% in the late (>7 days) group. This difference was not statistically significant (P> 0.05). Tracheostomy is a preferred method in airway management of severe COVID-19 patients under mechanical ventilation; however, early tracheostomy during the first week of intubation may not be superior to late tracheostomy in decreasing the mortality rate.