The role of fiberoptic bronchoscopy monitoring during percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy and its routine use into tracheotomy practice.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy with and without the use of the bronchoscope and compare the safety and complications of the procedure.

METHODS: The prospective, randomised-controlled study was conducted at the Professor A. Ilhan Ozdemir State Hospital, Giresun, Turkey, between October 2013 and February 2014, and comprised patients ≥18 years of age who were dependent on mechanical ventilation for an extended duration and were scheduled to undergo percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy with Griggs technique. The patients were randomly divided into two groups; group A received standard c that was opened without using fiberoptic bronchoscopy, while group B received percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy that was opened using fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Complications and number of applied needle approaches were recorded.

RESULTS: Of the 60 patients, 35(58.3%) were women. The patients were divided into two groups of 30(50%) each. None of the patients developed pneumothorax, subcutaneous emphysema, or oesophageal perforation. The numbers of needle interventions and total complications were significantly higher in group A than group B (p<0.05). Procedure duration was significantly longer in group B (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy was reliable when applied with fiberoptic bronchoscopy due to the significantly lower complication rates.