LAUSR

Objectives We aimed to evaluate the characteristics and management outcomes of patients who developed tracheal stenosis after invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) due to COVID-19 in this study. Design, settings and participants The data of 7 patients with tracheal stenosis and 201 patients without tracheal stenosis after IMV due to COVID-19 between March 2020 and October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Interventions Flexible bronchoscopy was performed for the diagnosis of tracheal stenosis and the evaluation of the treatment's effectiveness and rigid bronchoscopy was applied for the dilatation of tracheal stenosis. Measurements and Main Results In the follow-up period, tracheal stenosis was observed in 7 of 208 patients (2 women, 5 men, 3.3%). The patients were divided into two groups as patients with tracheal stenosis (n=7) and patients without tracheal stenosis (n=201). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and comorbidities (p > 0.05). The mean duration of IMV of the patients with tracheal stenosis was longer than patients without tracheal stenosis (27.9 ± 13 vs 11.2 ± 9 days, p < 0.0001, respectively). Three (43%) of the stenoses were web-like and four (57%) of them were complex type stenosis. The mean length of the stenoses was 1.81 ± 0.82 cm. Three of the patients were successfully treated with bronchoscopic dilatation and four of them were treated with tracheal resection. Conclusions Tracheal stenosis developed in 7 (3.3%) of 208 patients with COVID-19 who were treated with IMV. The most important characteristics of patients with tracheal stenosis was prolonged IMV support.