Traditional landmark versus ultrasound guided tracheal puncture during percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy in adult intensive care patients: a randomised controlled trial

Table 2 Follow-up data and procedural and intermediate-term complications ^a

Complications	Study groups		P-value
Procedural complications,n(%)^b	Landmark (N = 24)	Ultrasound (N = 23)^c
Patients with procedural complications^b	9 (37%)	5 (22%)	0.237
Patients with complications excluding minor bleeding^b	2 (8%)	2 (9%)	0.965
Only minor bleeding/no intervention	7 (29%)	3(13%)	0.177
Bleeding requiring intervention	2 (8%)	0 (0)	0.157
Pneumothorax	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.000
Tracheal injury	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.000
Oesophageal injury	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.000
Paratracheal placement	1 (4%)	0 (0)	0.322
Haemodynamic instability	1 (4%)	0 (0)	0.322
Desaturation	1 (4%)	1 (4%)	0.975
Ruptured ETT cuff	0 (0)	1 (4%)	0.302
Intermediate-term complications, n (%)	Landmark ( N = 24)	Ultrasound ( N = 24) ^c
Accidental decannulation	0 (0)	1 (4%)	0.322
Pressure ulcer	0 (0)	1 (4%)	0.322
Bleeding	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.000
Soft-tissue infection	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.000
Follow-up
Days to wean	9.0	8.0	0.448
Days to decannulation	19	24	0.819
ICU length of stay	23	22	0.556

^aETT, Endotracheal tube. ^bPatients with multiple procedural complications were counted as one in the overall procedural complication rate. ^cIn the ultrasound group, procedural data were missing for one patient and follow-up data were available for all 24 patients.

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