Luciana Mascia, Eleomore Corno, Pier Paok Terragni, David Stather, Niall D Ferguson
Most clinical trials on the topic of extubation have involved patients outside the neurological intensive care unit. As a result, in this area clinicians are left with little evidence on which to base their decision making. Although tracheostomies are increasingly common procedures, they are not without complications and costs, and hence a decision to perform them should not be taken lightly. In this issue of Critical Care two groups debate the merits of tracheostomy before extubation in a patient with neurological impairment...
October 2004: Critical Care: the Official Journal of the Critical Care Forum