Abstract
Objectives: To compare the rates of skin-related complications and accidental decannulation in pediatric patients who received Velcro® ties versus twill ties during the early postoperative period following tracheotomy. The rates of skin-related complications and accidental decannulation in patients with Velcro® ties was hypothesized to differ from those in patients with twill ties. Methods: Medical records of 109 patients ≤18 years old who underwent elective tracheotomy were reviewed: 70 received twill ties and 39 received Velcro® ties. Patients were followed for the first seven postoperative days. The primary outcome was skin-related complications, which were further categorized into mild (irritation) and severe (breakdown). The secondary outcome was accidental decannulation. Rates of skin-related complication and accidental decannulation were compared across the two groups using chi-square analysis. Results: Skin irritation occurred in 32 patients (45.7%) with twill ties and 10 patients (25.6%) with Velcro®. Skin breakdown occurred in 20 patients (28.6%) with twill ties and 6 patients (15.4%) with Velcro®. There were no accidental decannulation events. The use of Velcro® ties was associated with a decreased rate of skin irritation (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.17–0.97; P = 0.039). Conclusions: The use of Velcro® ties was associated with a decrease in the rate of skin irritation. There were no accidental decannulation events. These findings support the use of Velcro® ties at the time of pediatric tracheotomy placement.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 192-195 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology |
Volume | 116 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2019 |
Keywords
- Pediatric airway
- Pediatric general
- Pediatric tracheostomy
- Tracheostomy
- Tracheostomy ties
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Otorhinolaryngology