Prospective evaluation of the retrograde percutaneous translaryngeal tracheostomy (Fantoni procedure) in a surgical intensive care unit: technique and results of the Fantoni tracheostomy.

BACKGROUND: Controversy surrounds the safety and practicality of the retrograde percutaneous translaryngeal tracheostomy (Fantoni procedure) compared with other percutaneous methods.

METHODS: We used the Fantoni tracheostomy for 245 patients in our intensive care unit (ICU) over a period of 3 years 6 months and conducted a prospective analysis.

RESULTS: We are able to report a low incidence of complications (1.2%) with the Fantoni procedure. Advantages of the method are reduced tissue trauma and optimal adaptation of the stoma to the cannula, leading to less stomal bleeding and fewer infectious complications. We observed no procedure-related mortality. Under mandatory bronchoscopic control, proper puncture location and cannula placement are ensured, which prevents tracheal wall injury and paratracheal placement of the cannula.

CONCLUSIONS: Our experience shows that the major advantage of the use of the Fantoni tracheostomy is the retrograde dilatation of the stoma, which prevents serious complications compared with other techniques.