The long-term complications of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy.

Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy was adopted at our institution, because it was demonstrated to be more cost effective than standard open tracheostomy in critically ill patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome and complication rate of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy in critically ill patients. We performed a consecutive case study of all Level I trauma patients from August 1991 to May 1994 who underwent percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy.

Infant survival after cesarean section for trauma.

Hypothesis: Emergency cesarean sections in trauma patients are not justified and should be abandoned.

Setting And Design: A multi-institutional, retrospective cohort study was conducted of level 1 trauma centers.

Methods: Trauma admissions from nine level 1 trauma centers from January 1986 through December 1994 were reviewed.