Utility of routine postoperative chest radiography in pediatric tracheostomy.

OBJECTIVES: Routine chest radiography following pediatric tracheostomy is commonly performed in order to evaluate for air-tracking complications. Routine chest radiography affords disadvantages of radiation exposure and cost. The primary objective of this study was to determine the utility of routine postoperative chest radiography following tracheostomy in pediatric patients. Secondary objectives were to compare the rates of postoperative complications by various patient and surgeon characteristics.

METHODS: All infants and children 18 years of age or less (n=421) who underwent tracheostomy at a single tertiary-care medical center from January 2000 to April 2009 were included in the study. A combination of data obtained from billing and administrative systems and review of electronic medical records were recorded and compiled in a database for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Three air-tracking complications (2 pneumothoraces and 1 pneumomediastinum) were identified in our population of 421 pediatric patients, for an incidence of 0.71% (95% CI: 0.1-2.0%). No significant relationships were found between the incidence of air-tracking complication and surgical specialty, patient age, or type of procedure (elective, urgent/emergent).

CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified a low rate of pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum following pediatric tracheostomy. In all three cases, the pneumothorax was suspected clinically. This finding suggests that postoperative chest radiography should be reserved for cases where there is suspicion of a complication on the basis of intraoperative findings or clinical parameters.