LAUSR

Editor COVIDTrach is a UK multidisciplinary collaborative project that evaluates the outcomes of tracheostomy in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who are receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. In parallel, data is collected on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and rates of COVID-19 infection amongst operators. Between 6th April and 11th May 2020, data was received on 564 tracheostomies from 78 UK NHS hospitals. Results are given in brackets as a fraction of results received (n = results/number of results received). The majority of patients were male (n = 405/563, 72%) and BMI ranged from 18⋅5 to <25 (22%), 25 to <30 (35%), 30 to <40 (35%) and> 40 (8%) (data available in 426 cases). The number of days from intubation (day 0) to tracheostomy ranged from 0-35 (median 16, IQR 13, 22) (data available in 543 cases). Prior to tracheostomy, the median Fi02 was 40% (IQR 30, 45) (data available in 555 cases) and the median PEEP was 8 (IQR 6, 10) (data available in 539 cases). An open method of tracheostomy was used in 58% of cases (n = 323/560), a percutaneous method in 39% (n = 217/560) and a hybrid method was used in 3% (n = 20/560). A negative pressure environment was used in 10% of cases (n = 55/530). Fifty-two percent (n = 219/465) of COVID-19 patients who had undergone tracheostomy and were still alive had been weaned from mechanical ventilation at the point of completing the survey (Table 1). At the point of survey, 38% (n = 169/450) of patients who had undergone a tracheostomy had been discharged from intensive care. The all-cause Table 1 Outcomes following tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients