In this study, it is described how to use ultrasonography (US) for real-time imaging of the airway from the mouth, over pharynx, larynx, and trachea to the peripheral alveoli, and how to use this in airway management. US has several advantages for imaging of the airway - it is safe, quick, repeatable, portable, widely available, and it must be used dynamically for maximum benefit in airway management, in direct conjunction with the airway management, i.e. immediately before, during, and after airway interventions. US can be used for direct observation of whether the tube enters the trachea or the esophagus by placing the ultrasound probe transversely on the neck at the level of the suprasternal notch during intubation, thus confirming intubation without the need for ventilation or circulation. US can be applied before anesthesia induction and diagnose several conditions that affect airway management, but it remains to be determined in which kind of patients the predictive value of such an examination is high enough to recommend this as a routine approach to airway management planning. US can identify the croicothyroid membrane prior to management of a difficult airway, can confirm ventilation by observing lung sliding bilaterally and should be the first diagnostic approach when a pneumothorax is suspected intraoperatively or during initial trauma-evaluation. US can improve percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy by identifying the correct tracheal-ring interspace, avoiding blood vessels and determining the depth from the skin to the tracheal wall.

Ultrasonography in the management of the airway

Since the introduction and widespread acceptance of percutaneous techniques in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, the number of critically ill patients undergoing tracheostomy has steadily increased. However, this procedure can be associated with major complications, including death. The purpose of this study is to estimate the incidence and analyze the causes of lethal complications due to percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT). We analyzed cases of lethal outcome due to complications from PDT including cases published between 1985 and April 2013. A systematic literature search was performed and unpublished cases from our own departmental records were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 71 cases of lethal outcome following PDT were identified including 68 published cases and 3 of our own patients. The incidence of lethal complications was calculated to be 0.17%. Of the fatal complications, 31.0% occurred during the procedure and 49.3% within seven days of the procedure. The main causes of death were: hemorrhage (38.0%), airway complications (29.6%), tracheal perforation (15.5%), and pneumothorax (5.6%). We found specific risk factors for complications in 73.2% of patients, 25.4% of patients had more than one risk factor. Bronchoscopic guidance was used in only 46.5% of cases. According to this analysis, PDT-related death occurs in 1 out of 600 patients receiving a PDT. Careful patient selection, bronchoscopic guidance, and securing the tracheal cannula with sutures are likely to reduce complication rates.

/pdf/death-after-percutaneous-dilatational-tracheostomy-a-3duxu6fyqd.pdf

Death after percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy: a systematic review and analysis of risk factors.

Objectives
To create a state-of-the-art overview of the new and expanding role of ultrasonography in clinical decision-making, intervention and management of the upper and lower airways, that is clinically relevant, up-to-date and practically useful for clinicians.

/pdf/ultrasonography-for-clinical-decision-making-and-3c1w8ix5ff.pdf

Ultrasonography for clinical decision-making and intervention in airway management: from the mouth to the lungs and pleurae

Percutaneous tracheostomy is used primarily to assist weaning from mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit. We report our experiences of 800 such procedures performed in the intensive care unit by a collaborative team (critical care and ENT specialists). Most procedures (85.6%) were performed by residents supervised by the intensive care unit staff. Complications occurred in 32 patients (4%). Intraprocedural complications occurred in 17 patients (2.1%), early postprocedural complications in six (0.75%), and late postprocedural complications in nine (1.1%). No deaths were directly related to percutaneous tracheostomy. The incidence of complications was greater in percutaneous tracheostomy performed by the residents during their initial five attempts compared to their later attempts (9.2% vs 2.6%, p < 0.05). The low incidence of complications indicates that bedside percutaneous tracheostomy can be performed safely as a routine procedure in daily care of intensive care unit patients.

Safety and complications of percutaneous tracheostomy in a cohort of 800 mixed ICU patients.

Background Tracheotomies are frequently performed on ventilated patients in intensive care and sometimes lead to fatal complications. In this article, we discuss the causes and frequency of death associated with open surgical tracheotomy (OST) and percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy (PDT) on the basis of a review of the pertinent literature. Methods We systematically searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases and the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog for publications (1990-2015) on tracheotomy-related deaths in adults, using the search terms "tracheotomy" and "tracheostomy." 39 relevant dissertations were included in the analysis as well. Results 109 publications were included. Of the 25 056 tracheotomies described, there were 16 827 PDTs and 7934 OSTs; for 295 tracheotomies, the technique used was not stated. 352 deaths were reported, including 113 in patients treated with PDT, 49 in those treated with OST, and 190 deaths related to a tracheotomy without specification of the method used. The frequency of death among patients with OST and those treated with PDT was similar: 0.62% for OST (95% confidence interval [0.47; 0.82]) and 0.67% for PDT ([0.56; 0.81]). The most common causes of death and their frequencies, as a percentage of all tracheotomies, were hemorrhage (OST: 0.26% [0.17; 0.40], PDT: 0.26% [0.19; 0.35]), loss of airway (OST: 0.21% [0.13; 0.34], PDT: 0.20% [0.14; 0.28]), and false passage (OST: 0.11% [0.06; 0.22], PDT: 0.20% [KI 0.15; 0.29]). Conclusion Bias in the data cannot be excluded, as these were not epidemiologic data and the documentation was found to be incomplete. The likelihood of a fatal complication seems to be the same with both tracheotomy techniques as far as can be determined from the available evidence. Tracheotomy-related deaths can be avoided in several ways: by thorough training under the leadership of experienced physicians, by the use of the World Health Organization's Surgical Safety Checklist regardless of where the tracheotomy is performed, and by the continuous vigilance of nursing staff.

Tracheotomy-Related Deaths.

We report three deaths following percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy in a series of 1187 procedures undertaken in a single intensive care unit over a 13-year period. All deaths were due to severe haemorrhage. The first patient died during the procedure from uncontrollable haemorrhage from the innominate vein. Delayed haemorrhage in the other two patients was caused by the tracheostomy tube eroding into the aorta in one patient and into the innominate vein in the other. In both these patients, the tracheal stoma was found at postmortem to be sited unexpectedly low. Fatal haemorrhage is a rare complication of percutaneous tracheostomy (0.25% in this series), but is probably under-reported. While bronchoscopy is now used routinely during percutaneous tracheostomy insertion in most units, we speculate that ultrasound examination of the neck is more likely to identify major vascular structures at risk. However, whilst intuitive, there is little evidence that either bronchoscopy or ultrasound scanning reduces the incidence of complications. Magnetic resonance images of normal subjects are presented to demonstrate the anatomical relations of the trachea to major vascular structures and their variability.

Mortality from percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy. A report of three cases.

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Mortality from percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy. A report of three cases.