RT Book, Section A1 Berry, Jay A1 Manzi, Shannon A1 Hammitt, Laura A2 Shah, Samir S. SR Print(0) ID 6912119 T1 Chapter 56. Infections in Children with Tracheostomy T2 Pediatric Practice: Infectious Disease YR 2009 FD 2009 PB The McGraw-Hill Companies PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-148924-9 LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6912119 RD 2024/03/29 AB Tracheotomy is one of the most common surgical airway procedures performed in children. Approximately 5000 children undergo tracheotomy each year.1 In the past, tracheotomy was predominately performed in older children with acute upper airway compromise secondary to infection such as epiglottitis and croup.2 Currently, these acute upper airway infections represent less than 5% of tracheotomy performed in children.1,3 Tracheotomy is now more commonly being performed in children who require prolonged mechanical ventilation or who have significant anatomic rather than infectious causes of upper airway obstruction. The changes in the indications for tracheotomy reflect the extended survival of children born prematurely as well as those with chronic underlying illnesses such as neuromuscular disease and congenital anomalies.2–4 These underlying illnesses influence the etiology of tracheotomy-related infections encountered in children. This chapter focuses on the childhood tracheotomy-related infections of stoma cellulitis, tracheitis, and bacterial pneumonia.