After severe acquired brain injury (SABI: severe traumatic brain injury, stroke, anoxic brain damage), up to 50-70% of patients are tracheostomized. The need to tracheostomize a patient is based on the prolonged inability to breathe and/or protect their airway sufficiently. This is usually done in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A tracheostomy is first removed when the patient's clinical conditions allow for it. The removal can be performed in many settings, a neurological rehabilitation unit being one of these. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of this earlier decannulation procedure in patients with SABI at our department as well as the effectiveness on functional ability.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
60
From the 1st of September 2021, the investigators started to perform decannulation earlier after admission to the Department of Brain Injury. Before attempting to decannulate a patient, several factors were considered and assessed by the patient's treating team: patient's level of consciousness, hemodynamical stability, need for and frequency of salivary aspiration, cough strength and respiration frequency. Patients could not be under treatment for pneumonia and simultaneously have respiratory instability at the time of decannulation.
Department of Brain Injury, Rigshospitalet
Glostrup Municipality, Denmark
Mortality at three months after hospital discharge
Rate of survival
Time frame: Three months counted from hospital discharge
Mortality at twelve months after hospital discharge
Rate of survival
Time frame: Twelve months counted from hospital discharge
Rate of antibiotics prescribed to treat pneumonia after decannulation
Pneumonia as assessed by treating physician
Time frame: Counted number of days from decannulation until discharge
Rate of re-cannulation of the tracheal tube after initial decannulation
Assessment of failed decannulation attempts
Time frame: Counted number of days from decannulation until discharge
Length of hospital stay
LOS counted from admission to our department
Time frame: Counted number of days from admission to our department until discharge
Rate of hospital readmission at two and twelve months after discharge
Rate of hospital readmission, and if yes, for what cause
Time frame: At two and twelve months respectively counted from discharge
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