Long-term follow-up of Griggs percutaneous tracheostomy with spiral CT and questionnaire.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess late complications following percutaneous tracheostomy using the Griggs technique. DESIGN: Observational cohort study SETTING: General ICU of a 700-bed district general hospital in the United Kingdom. PATIENTS: Twenty-five patients who underwent Griggs tracheostomy in the ICU and survived for at least 6 months after decannulation. INTERVENTION: Patients were invited to attend for assessment by questionnaire and for spiral CT of the trachea. RESULTS: Eight patients had moderate tracheal dilatation, two patients were permanently hoarse, nine patients had minor voice changes, no patient had tracheal stenosis, and no patient had a disfiguring scar. CONCLUSION: Following Griggs percutaneous tracheostomy, 8 of 25 patients developed moderate tracheal dilatation, and none developed a tracheal stenosis. The cosmetic result after Griggs tracheostomy is good, but the number of patients with minor voice changes is high. A further investigation of long-term outcome following Griggs tracheostomy is necessary.