Laryngotracheal separation surgery for intractable aspiration: our experience with 12 patients.

Objective: Laryngotracheal separation surgery (LTS) was performed as a treatment for recurrent or intractable aspiration pneumonia in 12 pediatric patients. The effectiveness of LTS surgery for preventing aspiration pneumonia, and the complications of this procedure were investigated.

Methods: A retrospective chart review, conducted at a tertiary academic hospital in conjunction with a private practice, was used to identify children who underwent Laryngotracheal Separation Surgery (LTS) from September 2001 to July 2007.

Children with new tracheostomies: planning for family education and common impediments to discharge.

Objectives: To describe an educational program and timeline for the discharge of children with a new tracheostomy and identify common impediments to the education and discharge process.

Methods: Retrospective pilot case series of 70 children and adolescents undergoing tracheostomy placement over a 24-month period in a large urban academic pediatric hospital.

Results: Eleven healthcare providers with expertise with technology dependent children identified the eight most common impediments to education and discharge for children with new tracheostomies.

Pediatric tracheostomies: a recent experience from one academic center.

Objectives: To describe the indications, surgical timing, length of stay, hospital charges, and discharge disposition of pediatric tracheostomy patients.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Large urban academic pediatric hospital.

The experiences of pediatric nurses caring for children in a persistent vegetative state.

Objective: The number of children surviving in a persistent vegetative state is increasing with advances in medical technology. Caring for a neurologically devastated child presents unique challenges not previously described. Our objective was to gain an understanding of the pediatric nurse's experience of caring for children in a persistent vegetative state.

The child with a tracheostomy and gastrostomy: parental stress and coping in the home--a pilot study.

Caring for the technology dependent child in the home creates parental stress. Parenting children with device-based respiratory support is particularly stressful as changes in this area can be immediately life threatening. A retrospective pilot study was conducted to describe perceived stressors and coping strategies of the primary caregiver of a child with a tracheostomy and gastrostomy.