Arunima Viswakaran Sreelatha^1,2*, Arpit Sharma¹, Chandrani Chatterjee¹ Ramprasath Vasan¹ and Pranita Bhagat¹

¹Department of ENT and Head & Neck, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
²Currently in Gitanjali Eye & ENT Hospital, Vazhuthacaud, Trivandrum, Kerala, India

*Corresponding Author: Arunima Viswakaran Sreelatha, Currently in Gitanjali Eye & ENT Hospital, Vazhuthacaud, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.

Received: July 16, 2025; Published: Sepetember 12, 2025

Abstract

Tracheostomy remains a vital procedure in airway management, particularly for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. This prospective observational study analyzes 70 adult tracheostomies performed over 18 months in a tertiary care centre, identifying key challenges faced during preoperative planning, intraoperative technique, and postoperative recovery. While most procedures were uneventful, notable hurdles included difficult anatomical access, intraoperative bleeding, and delayed decannulation. The study underscores the importance of anatomical awareness, surgical strategy, and multidisciplinary care in overcoming these challenges.

Keywords: Tracheostomy; Airway Management; Complications; Decannulation; Surgical Technique

References

1. Hyzy RC and McSparron JI. “Tracheostomy: Postoperative care, maintenance, and complications in adults”. UpToDate (2025).
2. Nyanzi DJ., et al. “Tracheostomy-related indications, early complications and their predictors in low-resource settings: A prospective cohort study”. BMC Surgery59 (2023).
3. Karunarathna I. “Complications of tracheostomy: Clinical manifestations, risk factors, and multidisciplinary management”. Uva Clinical Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (2025).
4. Kumar S., et al. “Tracheostomy complications: Insights from a two-year, 15-case analysis at a tertiary care facility”. Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery 76 (2024): 1470-1475.
5. Lee M and Wilson H. “Complications of tracheostomy”. Shanghai Chest 5 (2021).
6. Watanabe A., et al. “Timing of tracheostomy and outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients: A multicenter cohort study in Japan”. Critical Care 26 (2022): 25.
7. Andriolo BN., et al. “Early versus late tracheostomy for critically ill patients”. Cochrane Database System Review 1 (2020): CD007271.
8. Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham COVID-19 Airway Team. “Early versus late tracheostomy in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis”. British Journal of Anaesthesia 5 (2022): 942-951.

Citation

Citation: Arunima Viswakaran Sreelatha., et al. “Challenges in Adult Tracheostomy Procedures: A Prospective Observational Study".Acta Scientific Otolaryngology 7.10 (2025): 02-06.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Arunima Viswakaran Sreelatha., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.