Correlation between timing of tracheostomy and duration of mechanical ventilation in patients with potentially normal lungs admitted to intensive care unit

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient evidence to conclude that the timing of tracheostomy alters the duration of mechanical ventilation, hence this study was designed to investigate the correlation between timing of tracheostomy and duration of mechanical ventilation for patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) with potentially normal lungs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective study for a period of 2 years, all adult patients admitted to the medical ICU of Al-Zahra Hospital in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences who needed endotracheal intubation and prolonged mechanical ventilation were considered for inclusion in this study. Data of underlying disease, causes of respiratory failure, age and gender, duration of mechanical ventilation, and interval between intubation time and tracheostomy were collected. The correlations between intubation period and ventilation period were analyzed using a Pearson correlation test. RESULTS: Sixty-six percent of patients (100 patients) were men. The mean ± SD of age of patients was 56.2 ± 20.8 years (18–90 years.). The timing of tracheostomy (duration of endotracheal intubation until tracheostomy) did not exhibit any correlation with the length of mechanical ventilation (P = 0.43, r = 0.08). The timing of tracheostomy had not any correlation with the age of patients (P = 0.20, r = 0.129). The length of mechanical ventilation had not any correlation with the age of patients (P = 0.83, r = 0.02). The timing of tracheostomy was similar in men and women (P = 0.5). Mechanical ventilation period was not significantly different in both genders (P = 0.89). CONCLUSION: Our study with mentioned sample size could not show any relationship between timing of tracheostomy and duration of mechanical ventilation in patients under mechanical ventilation with good pulmonary function in ICU.