With medical improvements in pediatrics, the role of tracheotomy has evolved. The aim of this study was to specify the indications for and complications of tracheotomy performed on children in a teaching hospital containing a level-3 maternity department and pediatric intensive care unit.

A retrospective study was conducted in pediatric tracheotomies performed from 2004 to 2014. Indications, early and late complications and the number and timing of decannulations were collated.

Fifty-seven patients were included. Tracheotomy was motivated by upper airway obstruction in 39 children (68%) (median age, 4.9months) or the need for prolonged ventilation in 18 children (32%) (median age, 6months). There were 4 early complications (7%) (2 decannulations, including 1 fatal; an obstructive plug, responsible for another death; and 1 pneumothorax during an EXIT procedure), and 15 secondary complications requiring further surgery (26%). Twenty-seven patients (47%) were decannulated, with a mean tracheotomy duration of 26months. In 9 cases (33% of decannulations), persistence of tracheocutaneous fistula required surgical repair.

Tracheotomy for infection is almost a thing of the past; tracheotomy for airway obstruction is also likely to decrease, thanks to medical treatment (for hemangioma) and surgical techniques (for congenital stenosis). Tracheotomy for prolonged ventilation, on the other hand, remains. Complications of tracheotomy in children are rare but potentially serious, requiring care in a specialized center within a multidisciplinary team with defined care protocols.