Pediatric tracheostomy: complications and role of home care in a developing country

Abstract

A large number of tracheostomies have been performed in the PV group to reduce the intensive care unit (ICU) stay and to prevent nosocomial infections. The need arises from the high cost of prolonged stay in an ICU setup, which is a cause of major economic burden, and lack of financial assistance for these patients worsens the scenario. Home care of the tracheostomy tubes remains a good option for patients requiring long periods of time to overcome their primary pathology.

Paediatric patients with a tracheostomy: a multicentre epidemiological study

“…Mortality directly related to the procedure, however, (3.2% in our series), was higher than that of other studies (0.7-3%) [2,3,8,18,26,29]. Of note was the high mortality associated with the procedure in preterm infants (four in our series) (fig.…”

Tracheostomy home care: in a resource-limited setting

“…Forty-three per cent of the children on the home programme were successfully decannulated during the study period, compared with 68% in the USA1 and 49% in Pakistan 4…”

“…Paediatric tracheostomy home care programmes have been described from developed2 3 as well as developing4 countries. The TCH programme serves a largely indigent population, and the training utilises appropriate technology such as foot-operated suction pumps which do not rely on the availability of electricity.…”

Surveillance and management practices in tracheotomy patients

“…Post‐tracheotomy wound care and surveillance would be ideal for attention from a national perspective. As many stakeholders care for these patients, there is large economic burden4 of care from tracheotomy patients, and the quality and level of care may potentially equate to the outcomes (i.e., suboptimal care may lead to a poor outcome). The lack of standardization in the United States mirrors the international lack of guidance for post‐tracheotomy patients.…”

“…The lack of standardization in the United States mirrors the international lack of guidance for post‐tracheotomy patients. However, due to economic circumstances, some countries have to evolve better management of these patients 4…”