Surgical tracheostomy versus percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy. A prospective-randomized study with long-term follow-up.

Abstract

This study confirms that PDT is a simpler and quicker procedure than ST and that it has a lower rate of early postoperative complications. Late tracheal complications were more frequent, although the difference was not statistically-significant, in the PDT group. Further investigations of long-term outcome following PDT are therefore necessary.