• François Blot, Christian Melot, and Commission d'Epidémiologie et de Recherche Clinique.
• Service de Réanimation Polyvalente, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39 Rue Camille Desmoulins, 94805 Villejuif Cedex, France. blot@igr.fr
• Chest. 2005 Apr 1;127(4):1347-52.

Study ObjectivesTo investigate the current practice of tracheostomy in French ICUs, focusing on the frequency, timing, indications, and techniques.DesignA retrospective study.SettingA questionnaire was sent to all ICUs included in the national registry of the Societe de Reanimation de Langue Francaise.PatientsAll ICU patients receiving mechanical ventilation (MV) during the year preceding the survey (excluding noninvasive ventilation) were covered by the questionnaire.InterventionNone.Measurements And ResultsOf the 708 ICUs invited to participate, 152 (21.5%) answered the questionnaire. Overall, 35,322 patients (median, 212 patients per unit; interquartile range [IQR], 148 to 329 patients) had received MV, including one fourth of patients for > 7 days. A median of 7.2% of patients (IQR, 2.9 to 11.1%) had undergone a tracheostomy. The most frequently reported indications for tracheostomy were prolonged MV (95%, after a median of 20 days) and failure of extubation (48%). An indication for "early" tracheostomy (ie, < 3 weeks) was considered in 68% of the ICUs, after a median time of 7 days. Physicians thought that performing tracheostomy would facilitate weaning from MV and early oral nutrition, and would improve overall patient comfort. The main disadvantages listed were tracheal complications, the aggressiveness of the procedure, and the risk of infection. Surgical techniques largely remained preferred compared to percutaneous techniques.ConclusionsThere is much heterogeneity in the reported practices of tracheostomy in French ICUs. Three fourths of physicians considered that a randomized study comparing prolonged translaryngeal intubation and early tracheostomy in patients expected to receive prolonged MV would be necessary to clarify those issues.

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