ABSTRACT
Tracheostomy is one of the frequent surgical procedures in critically ill patients.
Open surgical tracheostomy (OST) has traditionally been performed by surgeons
in the operating room. In the past half-century, several methods of percutaneous
tracheostomy have been introduced. Over the last decade, percutaneous tracheo-
stomy has been performed primarily in the intensive care unit (ICU) on patients
who require a prolonged artificial airway because of their critical illness or
progressive chronic lung disease.
