Early Data From Case Series of Tracheostomy in Patients With SARS-CoV-2

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Dec;163(6):1150-1152. doi: 10.1177/0194599820940655. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Abstract

Thirty-eight tracheostomies were performed on patients with respiratory failure secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection over the month of April at North Shore University Hospital and Lenox Hill Hospital (members of Northwell Health System in Long Island and New York City). Follow-up by May 14 revealed that 21 (55.2%) had been weaned from ventilators and 7 (18.4%) underwent decannulation. Two patients (5.3%) expired in the weeks following tracheostomy. Between the 2 institutions, 10 attending surgeons performed all of the tracheostomies using appropriate personal protective equipment, and none demonstrated seroconversion within 1 to 2 weeks of this article.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; novel coronavirus; respiratory failure; tracheostomy.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • COVID-19 / complications*
  • COVID-19 / mortality
  • COVID-19 / surgery
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • New York / epidemiology
  • Pandemics
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Respiratory Insufficiency / etiology
  • Respiratory Insufficiency / surgery*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Tracheostomy*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Ventilator Weaning / statistics & numerical data