Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 25, 140-143, Copyright © 1978 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Late Complications of Prolonged Tracheal Intubation

¹ Department of Anaesthesia, Victoria Hospital, London, Ontario
² Department of Otolaryngology, Victoria Hospital, London, Ontario

Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr. G.R. Sellery, Department of Anaesthesia, Victoria Hospital, London, Ontario, N6A 4G5.

Questionnaires were sent to patients who had tracheal intubation for periods longer than three days in a large multidisciplinary Intensive Care Unit. The information sought was of complaints related to talking, breathing, coughing, swallowing and chest infection. Of patients who had been intubated for seven days or less, 63 percent of the 52 patients responding had no complications while only one of the remainder had a major complication requiring surgical removal of a granuloma. Forty-eight percent of patients intubated for more than seven days had no complaints and the rest of the patients had minor complaints which did not persist. Most complained of hoarseness. Of patients who had a tracheostomy following prolonged intubation, only 23 percent were free of complications. From this it is concluded that tracheal tubes can be left in place for seven days and at this time direct laryngoscopy should be done. If no significant laryngeal pathology is seen at this examination, tracheal intubation may be continued.