Hybrid and Open Surgical Tracheostomy in a Single-Center Retrospective Cohort
Open Access
- 11 November 2026
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Vol. 15 (22) , 8814
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Hybrid tracheostomy combines direct surgical exposure with guidewire dilation. We describe institutional procedure allocation and observed outcomes of hybrid and open surgical tracheostomy (ST). Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort included 294 procedures (243 hybrid and 51 open ST) performed from July 2020 to February 2022. Analyses included the existing 1:1 propensity-matched sample and descriptive stratification by recorded preoperative difficult-airway status. Results: The mean operative time was shorter with hybrid tracheostomy in the overall cohort (15.4 ± 8.9 vs. 24.8 ± 40.7 min, p = 0.001). After matching, the difference was not statistically significant (14.1 ± 7.0 vs. 29.0 ± 49.6 min, p = 0.092; independent-group Student’s t-test). Overall weaning success was 55.1%; no statistically significant between-group difference was observed after matching. In the exploratory difficult-airway subgroup, complications occurred after 1/29 hybrid procedures (3.4%) and 2/10 open ST procedures (20.0%). These small, selected subgroups do not establish a preferred technique. Conclusions: In this single-center retrospective study, hybrid tracheostomy appeared to be a safe and feasible option in selected patients. However, preoperative assessment for a difficult airway is essential to guide individualized procedural planning.Keywords
Funding Information
- National Taiwan University Hospital (MS441)
- Lung Transplantation Foundation
This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:
- Outcomes of Pediatric Tracheostomy: The Impact of Body Weight on ComplicationsJournal of Clinical Medicine, 2026
- Timing of tracheostomy in patients with severe traumatic brain injuries: The need for tailored practice management guidelinesInjury, 2022
- Timing of tracheostomy in acute traumatic spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysisJournal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 2021
- Patient selection and preoperative evaluation of percutaneous dilation tracheostomy in the intensive care unitJournal of Thoracic Disease, 2021
- Semi-surgical percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy vs. conventional percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy: A prospective randomized trial2021
- Ultrasound-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy using a saline-filled endotracheal tube cuff as an ultrasonographic puncture target: A feasibility studyJournal of Critical Care, 2018
- Percutaneous versus surgical strategy for tracheostomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of perioperative and postoperative complicationsLangenbeck's Archives of Surgery, 2017
- Ultrasound-guided percutaneous dilational tracheostomy versus bronchoscopy-guided percutaneous dilational tracheostomy in critically ill patients (TRACHUS): a randomized noninferiority controlled trialIntensive Care Medicine, 2016
- A Prospective Randomized Study Comparing Mini-surgical Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy With Surgical and Classical Percutaneous TracheostomyMedicine, 2015
- Percutaneous versus surgical tracheostomy: A randomized controlled study with long-term follow-up*Critical Care Medicine, 2006