Long-term tracheostomy complications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59471/ijhsc2025395Keywords:
tracheostomy, chronic complications, long-term careAbstract
Introduction: prolonged tracheostomy is associated with chronic complications that affect respiratory, phonatory, and swallowing functions, particularly in institutionalized patients with multiple comorbidities. Evidence from long-term care settings remains limited, highlighting the need for locally generated data.
Materials and method: a retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in a chronic care facility in Buenos Aires in 2024. A total of 87 adult patients with a tracheostomy in place for ≥3 months were included. clinical, functional, and structural variables were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation tests, and logistic regression.
Results: all patients exhibited phonatory and/or swallowing dysfunction, and 64,3 % developed multiple complications. The most frequent complications were granulation tissue formation (21,8 %), recurrent respiratory infections (20,7 %), and tracheal stenosis or tracheomalacia (18,4 %). cannulation time was an independent predictor of multiple complications (OR = 1,18; p < 0,01), as was prolonged invasive mechanical ventilation (p < 0,05). functional impairment was substantial: 44,8 % of patients had total dependency and 24,1 % had severe dependency according to the Barthel Index.
Conclusion: long-term complications are highly prevalent among chronically tracheostomized patients and are associated with significant functional deterioration. These findings underscore the importance of structured follow-up protocols, periodic endoscopic assessment, and interdisciplinary rehabilitation, as well as the need for multicenter prospective studies to inform the development of national clinical guidelines.
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