Amount of Droplet Formed During Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy

Overview

During the percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT), large amount of droplets and aerosols are spread to the environment especially with the effect of ventilation during the dilatation phase. In such cases, it is recommended to take precautions such as masks and goggles or shields to protect practitioners from infection, however it has also been reported that droplets and aerosols can spread to the environment and can go far. Flow controlled ventilation (FCV) with the use of Tritube® and Evone® could reduce droplet spread during PDT and provide a safer environment while operating on patients with infected airways.

During the percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy, large amount of droplets and aerosols are spread to the environment especially with the effect of ventilation during the dilatation phase. In such cases, it is recommended to take precautions such as masks and goggles or shields to protect practitioners from infection, however it has also been reported that droplets and aerosols can spread to the environment and can go far. Flow controlled ventilation (FCV) with the use of Tritube® and Evone® could reduce droplet spread during PDT and provide a safer environment while operating on patients with infected airways. SPSS 21.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) (Version 22.0, SPSS, Inc, Chicago, USA) program will be used for statistical analysis. After applying the Shapiro-wilk test for normality, the student's t test will be used if the distribution is not normal. Fisher's exact test or chi-square test will be used for categorical variables. Results p\<0.05 will be considered significant. The investigators compared the amount of droplets scattered in the environment with PDT performed with FCV and conventional mechanical ventilation methods, with the ATP (adenosine triphosphate) bioluminescence method.