[Tracheotomy earlier than recommended among patients with Covid-19].

Nihlén, Åsa; Odhagen, Erik; Lindell, Ellen

The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has led to a sharp rise in intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and consequently a need to perform tracheotomies on patients with Covid-19. A number of guidelines have been published with recommendations for the timing of tracheostomy in Covid-19 patients, suggesting tracheotomy should be delayed until day 14-21 of mechanical ventilation. We present the first 66 patients treated in the ICU at Södra Älvsborg hospital in Sweden as a result of Covid-19. A total of 29 patients received a tracheostomy, median time 9 days post oral intubation, which is earlier than recommended. The mortality rate was 21%, which is slightly lower than reported from The Swedish Intensive Care Registry (25%). None of the doctors performing tracheotomies developed Covid-19 linked to the tracheotomy procedure.