Literature Review. Real-time ultrasonography-guided percutaneous tracheotomy

Abstract

Percutaneous dilation tracheostomy is a procedure performed in critical patient units. It involves blunt dissection of the pretracheal tissues followed by dilation of the trachea over the guidewire and insertion of the tracheal cannula using the Seldinger technique. In re­cent decades, evidence suggests that in the hands of trained physicians it is at least as safe as surgical tracheostomy, with a similar incidence of complications. The proper selection of patients and the use of complementary safety tools such as bronchoscope or ultrasound reduce failure rates and complications. Being absolute contraindications for PDT abnormal anatomy, malignant tumor at the tracheostomy site, coagulopathies, or difficult to treat airway. Bronchoscopy guidance allows evaluation of the depth of the endotracheal tube, confirms the position of the needle in the axis of the trachea and the proper insertion of the guide wire and dilator. Among its disadvantages are that the puncture site is subject to slant and cannot accurately guide the needle into the trachea. In addition, it requires Critical Patient Units with bronchoscope and trained personnel. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous tracheotomy is a validated alternative in units where bronchoscopy is not available. It is a fast, safe method that allows the identification of anatomical structures, cervical vasculatu- re, identifies the puncture site and guides the insertion of the needle into the trachea. With high first-attempt success rates, significantly reducing the number of punctures.