Percutaneous tracheostomy: Let's play it safe

摘要

We read with interest the article published by Jackson et al.1 in a recent issue of Journal of Trauma (December 2011) on the futility of routine bronchoscopic guidance during percutaneous tracheostomy (PT). We appreciate the study, but we think that some points need to be addressed. The rate of complications is higher than reported in the literature, and some are not cited at all (e.g., injury of posterior wall of trachea, infection, etc.). Recently, Kornblith et al.2 reported a rate of complications of 1.4% on 1,000 PTs.