Background: This study aims to investigate the relationship between duration of mechanical ventilation and length of resected segment in tracheal stenosis.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated hospital records of 17 patients (14 males, 3 females; mean age 37.8 years; range 11 to 69 years) with tracheal stenosis who were performed surgical treatment in our clinic. We analyzed the patients according to age, gender, symptoms, treatment method, localization of stenosis, length of resected segment, duration of mechanical ventilation, time interval after extubation or decanulation, underlying disease, and complications of surgery. Patients were divided into two groups. Patients in group 1 (n=10) had intubation durations of less than 10 days and patients in group 2 (n=7) had intubation durations of more than 10 days. We investigated the relationship between duration of mechanical ventilation and length of resected tracheal segment statistically.

Results: Main symptom was severe dyspnea (n=17). We performed resection of stenotic tracheal segment and end-to-end anastomosis in all patients. Localizations of stenoses were regions of tube or cannula cuffs in all patients. The mean length of resection material in group 1 was 2.2 cm (range 1.4 to 3.1 cm) (n=10). This length was mean 3.5 cm (range 2.3 to 4.7 cm) in group 2 (n=7). The difference between groups 1 and 2 was statistically significant (p<0.05). Most frequent causes of mechanical ventilation were coronary artery disease (n=5) and trauma (n=5). We observed wound infection in two patients.

Conclusion: Early weaning from mechanical ventilation is the basic principal in reducing tracheal stenosis incidence and stenotic segment length.

Keywords : Endotracheal intubation; mechanical ventilation; tracheal stenosis; tracheotomy