Strengths and clinical applicability of the study
This study was conducted in a region significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and data collected from each otorhinolaryngology departments actively addressing the situation. Presently, English literature neither provides research regarding COVID-19-related tracheostomies nor multicentre data. Therefore, our questionnaire offers a unique perspective, which emphasises the need for additional data to establish dedicated guidelines addressing multiple discrepancies that accompanied COVID-19 tracheostomies during the pandemic’s early phases.
CONCLUSION
Treating ICU patient tracheostomies, especially during fragile situations such as COVID-19 infections, requires careful planning. Additionally, the present approaches need refinement and shared guidance. Although we cannot deny the pandemic’s ramifications on the economy and human lives, the situation presents an opportunity to improve standards of care. The similarities among ICU patients admitted to various hospitals could help develop shared, evidence-based interventions for tracheostomies in long-term invasively ventilated COVID-19 patients. Consequently, the present lack of guidelines demands mandatory collaboration between otolaryngologists and anaesthesiologists to determine the timing and technical approaches appropriate for each patient.
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