Early tracheostomy is recommended for patients with severe traumatic brain injury or stroke. Tracheostomy in the same setting as emergency decompressive craniectomy, on the other hand, has never been investigated. Our goal was to compare the outcomes related to the duration of mechanical ventilation in patients who had immediate (IT) vs. early (ET) tracheostomy following an emergency decompressive craniectomy in a Neurosurgical centre in Sabah, Malaysia. We reviewed 135 patients who underwent emergency decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke patients between January 2013 and January 2018 in this retrospective cohort study. The cohort included 49 patients who received immediate tracheostomy (IT), while the control group included 86 patients who received a tracheostomy within 7 days of decompressive surgery (ET). The duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay (LOS) in the critical-care unit, and intravenous sedation were significantly shorter in the IT group compared to the ET group, according to the study. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), tracheostomy-related complications, or 30-day mortality rate. In conclusion, compared to early tracheostomy, immediate tracheostomy in the same setting as emergency decompressive craniectomy is associated with a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and LOS in critical-care units with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. This practise could be used in busy centres with limited resources, such as those where mechanical ventilators, critical-care unit beds, or OT wait times are an issue.
Keywords: cranial decompression; critical care; immediate tracheostomy timing; length of stay (LOS); mechanical ventilation.