Timing of Tracheostomy in Critically Ill Infants and Children With Respiratory Failure: A Pediatric Health Information System Study

OBJECTIVES: Tracheostomy placement in infants and children with respiratory failure has steadily increased over time, yet there is no consensus for optimal timing. We sought to: 1) describe tracheostomy timing and associated demographic and clinical characteristics in a large ICU cohort and 2) compare clinical outcomes between subgroups based on tracheostomy timing. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study using the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS). SETTING: Neonatal ICUs and PICUs in the United States. PATIENTS: PHIS was queried for patients less than 18 years who underwent tracheostomy from 2010 to 2020. Patients were included if admitted to an ICU with need for mechanical ventilation (MV) prior to tracheostomy in the same hospitalization. Patients were categorized as early tracheostomy (ET) (placement at MV day ≤ 14), late tracheostomy (LT) (MV days 15-60), and extended tracheostomy (ExT) (MV day > 60). Primary endpoints included demographic and clinical characteristics. Secondary endpoints included patient outcomes: in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), and hospital costs. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Sixteen thousand one hundred twenty-one patients underwent tracheostomy at 52 children's hospitals. Ten thousand two hundred ninety-five had complete data and were included in the analysis. Thirty-nine percent (4,006/10,295) underwent ET, 40% (4,159/10,295) underwent LT, and 21% (2,130/10,295) underwent ExT. Majority of patients in all subgroups had complex chronic conditions. Median age was significantly different between subgroups with ET being the oldest ( p < 0.001). A multivariable regression analysis showed that ET was associated with lower in-hospital mortality ( p < 0.001), shorter hospital LOS ( p < 0.001), shorter ICU LOS ( p < 0.001), shorter post-tracheostomy LOS ( p < 0.001), decreased HAP ( p < 0.001), and lower hospital costs ( p < 0.001) compared with those who underwent LT or ExT. CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of pediatric patients with respiratory failure, tracheostomy placement within 14 days of MV was associated with improved in-hospital outcomes. ET was independently associated with decreased mortality, LOS, HAP, and hospital costs.