Early Tracheostomy Change in Neonates: Feasibility and Benefits.

To compare outcomes of early and late tracheostomy change in neonatal patients. Early tracheostomy change (ETC) occurred 3 to 4 days after surgery, and late tracheostomy change (LTC) occurred 5 to 7 days after surgery. Retrospective cohort. Tertiary neonatal/pediatric intensive care unit. A retrospective review of patients who underwent tracheostomy from 2015 to 2019 was performed for infants <1 year old. Data were recorded regarding age at tracheostomy, days until tracheostomy tube change, postoperative complications, and total number of days on sedative or paralytic drugs. Forty-six patients were included: 18 (39%) were male, with a mean age of 140 days (SD, 78). Of these, 28 (61%) received ETC. There were no accidental decannulation events in either group. Wound breakdown developed in 4 (14%) patients with ETC versus 5 (28%) with LTC ( ETC appears to be feasible in children less than a year of age. There does not appear to be an increased risk of accidental decannulation events or false passage tracts. Further investigations are warranted to investigate safety and possible impact on wound breakdown.