An Evaluation of Open Tracheostomy in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the indications, utilisation and the overall impact of tracheostomy on the practice of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
In a retrospective study of a total of 381 patients operated under general anaesthesia by the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery within the study period, 41 patients (10.8%) were tracheostomised. There were 26 males and 15 females with a ratio of 1.7:1 and the mean age was 28.9 years (SD = 12.25, range of 5 – 65 years). Indications for tracheostomy were orofacial tumours 70.7% (n=29), trauma 19.5% (n=8), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis 7.3% (n=3) and post operative airway obstruction 2.4% (n=1).
Orofacial tumours account for a major part of the indication for tracheostomy as a surgical airway intervention which is safe and with low morbidity.


Keywords: Tracheostomy, Airway management, Orofacial tumours

Nigerian Journal of Surgical Sciences Vol. 17 (2) 2007: pp. 96-100