Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul;29(7):592-596.
doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10071-25009. Epub 2025 Jul 7.

Tracheostomy in Children: Experience from a Tertiary Care Center in South India

Seenivasan Subramani  1 , Poovazhagi Varadarajan  1 , Nisha Rangabashyam  1 , Nirmakumar Jayaraman  2 , Sarath Balaji  3 , Jegan M Rajajeyavel  1
Affiliations

Tracheostomy in Children: Experience from a Tertiary Care Center in South India

Seenivasan Subramani et al. Indian J Crit Care Med. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Background and aim: Data on tracheostomy in children are scarce in India. Hence, our study aimed to determine the indications, timing, complications, and outcomes of tracheostomy in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

Patients and methods: We carried out a single-center ambispective study in children aged 1 month to 12 years undergoing tracheostomy in the PICU from February 2019 to April 2024. Data on age, gender, indications, complications, outcome, and follow-up of post-tracheostomy patients were collected and analyzed.

Results: One hundred and thirty-six patients underwent tracheostomy. Neurological illness (57.4%) was the reason for admission in the majority of children. Prolonged ventilation was the most common indication for tracheostomy (50%). The median (IQR) duration of ventilation before tracheostomy was 21 (14-27) days. The mean (SD) duration of weaning to "T piece" was 9.3 (7.8) days. Forty-six children died in the hospital due to primary illness and 4 (2.9%) tracheostomy-related deaths. Complications were observed in 58 (42.6%) children. Tracheal aspirate growth was observed in 58 (42.6%). Mothers were the primary caregivers in 127 (93.4%). The median (IQR) duration of PICU stay was 28 (20-43.5) days. Forty-nine (36%) children were decannulated.

Conclusion: Tracheostomy is a safe procedure in the PICU, and the mortality is mainly due to underlying illness.

How to cite this article: Subramani S, Varadarajan P, Rangabashyam N, Jayaraman N, Balaji S, Rajajeyavel JM. Tracheostomy in Children: Experience from a Tertiary Care Center in South India. Indian J Crit Care Med 2025;29(7):592-596.

Keywords: Complications; Indications; T piece; Tracheostomy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: NoneConflict of interest: None

Figures

Fig.1
Fig.1
Study flowchart showing enrollment, survival and follow-up PICU, pediatric intensive care unit
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Freeman BD, Morris PE. Tracheostomy practice in adults with acute respiratory failure. Crit Care Med. 2012;40(10):2890–2896. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e31825bc948. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wood D, McShane P, Davis P. Tracheostomy in children admitted to paediatric intensive care. Arch Dis Child. 2012;97(10):866–869. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2011-301494. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andriolo BN, Andriolo RB, Saconato H, Atallah ÁN, Valente O. Early versus late tracheostomy for critically ill patients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;2015(1):CD007271. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007271. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Young D, Harrison DA, Cuthbertson BH, Rowan K;, TracMan Collaborators Effect of early vs late tracheostomy placement on survival in patients receiving mechanical ventilation: The TracMan randomized trial. JAMA. 2013;309(20):2121–2129. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.5154. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Smith MM, Benscoter D, Hart CK. Pediatric tracheostomy care updates. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020;28(6):425–429. doi: 10.1097/MOO.0000000000000666. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources