Clinical Research Directory

Complications Related to the Anaesthesia During Airway Endoscopy in Children With Tracheostomy.

The goal of this observational study is to investigate the incidence of severe anaesthesiologic complications during anaesthesia in children with tracheostomy undergoing surveillance airway endoscopy. The main question it aims to answer is how common severe anaesteshiologic complications are in these patients and investigate if there is an association between severe anaesthesiologic complications and patient related factors. Primary outcome: The incidence of severe anaesthesiologic complications in children with tracheostomy undergoing surveillance airway endoscopy. Secondary outcome: The association between severe anaesthesiologic complications and patient related factors: age at tracheostomy, age at surveillance endoscopy, ventilator dependence, current and previously diagnosed tracheostomy related airway complications. All children under 18 yrs. of age with a tracheostomy accepted for general anaesthesia undergoing surveillance airway endoscopy at the Long term Intensive Care unit at Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm Sweden will be eligable for inclusion. The anaesthesia will be conducted according to current practise and complications will recorded by the anaesthesiologist in charge. Participants may only be included several times during the study period.

"Airway Complications in Pediatric Patients With Tracheostomies: To What Extent Can Symptoms Identified by Caregivers or Pediatricians Serve as Predictors for Airway Complications Confirmed Through Surveillance Endoscopy?"

Study Objective: This observational study aims to prospectively investigate to what extent tracheostomy-related complications in children are asymptomatic or associated with symptoms when detected through surveillance airway endoscopy. We also aim at investigating how reliable caregiver reports and investigations by pediatriscians are in identifying symptoms associated with severe tracheostomy-related airway complications. Study Population: The study population comprises children under 18 years of age undergoing follow-up at the Long-Term Intensive Care Unit (LIVA) at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. Research Questions: 1. To what extent are tracheostomy-related complications in children asymptomatic when detected through surveillance airway endoscopy? 2. How reliable are caregiver reports in identifying symptoms associated with tracheostomy-related airway complications? Methods: Children scheduled for surveillance airway endoscopy are admitted to LIVA. Upon admission, the caregiver is asked to complete a short questionnaire regarding symptoms that may indicate a tracheostomy-related complication. After the questionnaire has been completed, the child will be examined by the responsible paediatrician, with the aim of identifying any signs or symptoms that could indicate an airway complication. The examination includes physical examination and medical history conducted according to a predefined protocol. The airway endoscopy is performed by an ENT surgeon who has not examined the patient beforehand and is not informed of the caregiver's responses nor the result of the examination by the pediatrician. However, there is no strict protocol in place to blind the surgeon to any visibly apparent symptoms or to information that may be spontaneously reported by the caregiver or paediatrician.