Long-term follow-up of Griggs percutaneous tracheostomy with spiral CT andquestionnaire

Objective: To assess late complications following percutaneous tracheostomy using the Griggs technique, Design: Observational cohort study Setting: General ICU of a 700-bed district general hospital in the United K ingdom, Patients: Twenty-five patients who underwent Griggs tracheostomy in the ICU and survived for at least 6 months after decannulation, Intervention: Patients were invited to attend for assessment by questionnai re and for spiral CT of the trachea. Results: Eight patients had moderate tracheal dilatation, two patients were permanently hoarse, nine patients had minor voice changes, no patient had tracheal stenosis, and no patient had a disfiguring scar. Conclusion: Following Griggs percutaneous tracheostomy, 8 of 25 patients de veloped moderate tracheal dilatation, and none developed a tracheal stenosi s, The cosmetic result after Griggs tracheostomy is good, but the number of patients with minor voice changes is high. A further investigation of long -term outcome following Griggs tracheostomy is necessary.