Table 2 Characteristics of the study population
| Â | Morbidly obese (n = 89) | Control (n = 338) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
Age (years) | 51.1 ± 9.4 | 57.9 ± 18.1 | 0.02 |
Gender (male/female) | 52/37 | 198/140 | 0.9 |
Body mass index (kg/m2) | 48.6 ± 8.1 | 29.3 ± 5.3 | < 0.001 |
Charlson index | 2.1 ± 1.1 | 0.9 ± 1.0 | < 0.001 |
APACHE II score | 18 ± 4 | 19 ± 6 | 0.5 |
Reasons for ICU admission | Â | Â | Â |
   Obstructive lung disease | 7 (8%) | 51 (15%) | 0.11 |
   Pneumonia | 17 (19%) | 72 (21%) | 0.76 |
   Congestive heart failure | 6 (7%) | 42 (12%) | 0.19 |
   Hypercapnic respiratory failure | 15 (17%) | 7 (2%) | < 0.001 |
   Sepsis | 13 (15%) | 33 (10%) | 0.26 |
   Cerebrovascular accident | 3 (4%) | 17 (5%) | 0.71 |
   Cardiothoracic/vascular surgery | 6 (7%) | 14 (4%) | 0.45 |
   Non-vascular surgery | 12 (13%) | 47 (14%) | 0.94 |
   Trauma/burn | 8 (9%) | 49 (14%) | 0.24 |
   Others | 2 (2%) | 5 (1%) | 0.97 |
Indications for tracheostomy | Â | Â | Â |
   Prolonged mechanical ventilation | 46 (52%) | 105 (31%) | < 0.001 |
   Failure to wean | 34 (38%) | 192 (57%) | 0.003 |
   Vocal cord paralysis | 0 | 7 (2%) | 0.37 |
   Facial trauma | 9 (10%) | 24 (7%) | 0.47 |
   Epiglottitis | 0 (1%) | 10 (3%) | 0.21 |
Duration of mechanical ventilation prior to tracheotomy (days) | 11.7 ± 5.2 | 12.8 ± 6.9 | 0.35 |
Endotracheal intubations prior to tracheostomy (days) | 2 ± 1 | 2 ± 1 | 0.78 |