The reported range in adverse effects associated with tracheostomy from randomized trials comparing percutaneous and open surgical techniques (4)
| Complication | Incidence, % | |
|---|---|---|
| PDT | OST | |
| Intraprocedural (occurring during or immediately after insertion) | ||
| Multiple attempts | 0–4 | 0–4 |
| Paratracheal insertion | 0–4 | 0–10 |
| Posterior tracheal wall laceration | 0–13 | NA |
| Early postprocedural (occurring before maturation of stomal tract, i.e., < 7 d) | ||
| Bleeding | ||
| Minor | 10–20 | 11–80 |
| Major | 0–4 | 0–7 |
| Pneumothorax | < 1 | 0–4 |
| Subcutaneous emphysema | 0–5 | 0–11 |
| Airway fire | < 1 | < 1 |
| Accidental decannulation | 0–5 | 0–15 |
| Stoma infection | 0–10 | 0–63 |
| Loss of airway | 0–8 | 0–4 |
| Aspiration | 0–7 | 0–3 |
| Late postprocedural (> 7 d) | ||
| Tracheal stenosis | 7–27 | 11–63 |
| Tracheomalacia | 0–7 | 0–8 |
| Tracheoesophageal fistula | < 1 | < 1 |
| Tracheoarterial fistula | < 1 | < 1 |
| Delayed stoma closure | 0–39 | 10–54 |
| Unesthetic scar/cosmetic deformity | 0–20 | 5–40 |
| Vocal cord paralysis | < 1 | 0–2 |
| Airway symptoms* | 0–41 | 5–46 |
NA = not applicable; OST = open surgical tracheostomy; PDT = percutaneous dilational tracheostomy.
↵* Including hoarseness, stridor, cough, dyspnea or subjective phonetic or respiratory problems.