PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - ALHumaid, Salwa AU - Elkrim, Mohammed A. AU - AlOqaili, Yazeed A. AU - AlSowailmi, Ghada A. AU - AlObaid, Fahad A. AU - AlSalem, Abdulaziz A. AU - AlQabasani, Mohammed A. AU - Arabi, Yaseen M. AU - AlDorzi, Hasan M. TI - Outcomes of tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients in National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia AID - 10.15537/smj.2021.42.11.20210505 DP - 2021 Nov 01 TA - Saudi Medical Journal PG - 1217--1222 VI - 42 IP - 11 4099 - http://smj.org.sa/content/42/11/1217.short 4100 - http://smj.org.sa/content/42/11/1217.full SO - Saudi Med J2021 Nov 01; 42 AB - Objectives: To evaluate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient tracheostomy outcomes.Methods: All COVID-19 patients at the National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were retrospectively recruited. Those who had tracheostomies between April and December 2020 were included.Results: The population was 45 patients, of which 30 (66.7%) were males, 15 (33.3%) were females and the mean age was 66.76±12.74 years. The tracheostomy indications were anticipated prolonged weaning in 40 (88.9%) and failed extubation in 5 (11.1%) of the patients. The mean intubation to tracheostomy duration was 20.62±7.21 days. Mortalities were high, with most attributed to COVID-19. Mortality and a pre-tracheostomy C-reactive protein (CRP) uptrend were significantly related (p=0.039). Mortality and intubation to tracheostomy duration were not significantly related. The mean post-tracheostomy time to death was 10.64±6.9 days. Among the survivors, 20 (44.4%) males and 11 (24.4%) females were weaned off mechanical ventilation; 9 (20%) remained on ventilation during the study. The mean ventilation weaning time was 27.92±20 days.Conclusion: The high mortality rate was attributed to COVID-19. Mortality and a pre-tracheostomy CRP uptrend were significantly related; uptrend patients experienced far more mortalities than downtrend patients. Unlike previous findings, mortality and intubation to tracheostomy duration were not significantly related.