Enlargement of existing tracheostome using percutaneous dilators
Bill Chaudhry, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH, UK.
Abstract
Children requiring long-term mechanical ventilation or with abnormalities of the upper airway may need a tracheostomy for prolonged periods of time. For these children, insertion of a larger tracheostomy tube may be required to match somatic growth. We describe a new method of enlarging the tracheal stoma in children, based on the existing technique of percutaneous dilational tracheostomy.
