Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical Management of Tracheostomy in Patients with Severe Burns and Cervical Involvement: Impact on Cervical Wound-Healing Disturbance.
By Thielmann JM et al.·2026·Department of Plastic, Germany·View original on Europe PMC →
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Plain-English summary
This study looked at adults with severe burns on their necks who needed a tracheostomy, which is a procedure to help them breathe. Researchers wanted to see how the timing of the tracheostomy and the type of wound coverage affected healing around the area. They found that out of 37 patients, those treated with advanced dressings had fewer healing issues compared to those who received skin grafts. The depth of the burn was the main factor affecting healing problems, rather than when the tracheostomy was done or how the skin was covered. Overall, the findings suggest that treatment should be tailored to each patient's specific situation rather than following a strict protocol.
Abstract
<h4>Background</h4>Major cervical burns often require tracheostomy (TT); however, it remains unclear whether TT timing relative to cervical wound coverage (WC) and the choice of coverage modality affect peristomal wound healing.<h4>Methods</h4>In this retrospective single-center cohort study, we included 48 adults with thermally induced cervical burns who underwent TT between 2015 and 2024 in a specialized burn ICU. Eleven patients died before decannulation and were excluded from the primary endpoint analysis. Cervical wound-healing disturbance (CWHD) as a primary endpoint was assessed in the remaining 37 patients, including 13 treated with advanced cervical dressings and 24 treated with split-thickness skin grafts (STSG).<h4>Results</h4>CWHD occurred in 2/13 (15.4%) with advanced dressings and 11/24 (45.8%) after STSG. Within the grafted subgroup, complication rates did not differ significantly according to TT sequencing relative to WC, TT-WC interval, grafting technique (mesh vs. Meek), or tracheostoma closure method (all <i>p</i> > 0.05). In multivariable logistic regression, only cervical burn depth independently predicted CWHD.<h4>Conclusion</h4>In patients with cervical burns requiring TT, burn depth/severity, rather than TT timing, grafting strategy, or closure technique, appears to drive peristomal wound complications, supporting individualized planning instead of rigid algorithms.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41892156