Key Points
  1. In severe cases, tracheostomies are essential in management of chronically obstructed patients suffering from acute respiratory failure, however, the impact of chronic obstruction on tracheostomy complication incidence has not been characterized.
  2. The most common acute post-tracheostomy complications in this cohort were bleeding, infection, and dislodgement, which was consistent with prior studies.
  3. Patients with obstructive pulmonary pathologies had a moderate association with an increased risk in complications.
  4. Radiation was moderately associated with early complication (post-operative day 0-6) which could be attributed to delayed wound healing seen in patients with a history of radiation therapy.
  5. The possible increased risk of complications in patients with obstructive pulmonary diseases should be noted but should not serve as a contraindication when considering the life-saving benefit from tracheostomy in these patient populations.