Evaluation of a Specialised Tracheostomy Team for the Management of Patients With a Tracheostomy Cannula in a Belgium General Hospital: A Retrospective Study.
August 6, 2026 updated by: Vitaz
Management of Patients With a Tracheostomy Cannula by a Specialised Team in a Belgium General Hospital: A Retrospective Study
Patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) frequently require prolonged mechanical ventilation. Difficulties in weaning from mechanical ventilation represent an important indication for performing a tracheotomy, which involves creating a temporary opening in the trachea into which a cannula is inserted. This procedure is often confused with a tracheostomy, in which a permanent stoma is created.
Tracheotomy offers several clinical benefits, including increased patient comfort, reduced sedation requirements, decreased work of breathing, improved oral hygiene, a lower risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and lower mortality. With the increasing use of the percutaneous technique, the procedure is increasingly performed by intensivists. Consequently, the number of patients with a tracheostomy cannula in the ICU is increasing.
Following clinical stabilisation, these patients are transferred to inpatient wards throughout the hospital according to their underlying pathology. However, nurses working on these wards encounter tracheostomy-related care less frequently, which may include suctioning, wound care, cannula care, and decannulation.
Despite the availability of clinical procedures and protocols, a lack of knowledge, skills, and confidence in providing safe tracheostomy-related care persists. This increases the risk of complications such as cannula obstruction, infection, hypoxaemia, dislodgement, and bleeding. To address this issue, specialised multidisciplinary tracheostomy teams are increasingly being implemented.
The aim of this retrospective study is to answer the following research question: What is the impact of a specialised multidisciplinary tracheostomy team on clinical outcomes in hospitalised patients with a tracheostomy cannula?
Study Overview
Status
Not yet recruiting
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Observational
Enrollment (Estimated)
200
Contacts and Locations
This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.
Study Contact
- Name: Lisa Christiaens, MSc
- Phone Number: +3237606060
- Email: brecht.serraes@vitaz.be
Study Locations
-
-
Oost-Vlaanderen
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Sint-Niklaas, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium, 9100
- Vitaz
-
Contact:
- Brecht Serraes, Doctor
- Phone Number: +3237602039
- Email: brecht.serraes@vitaz.be
-
Principal Investigator:
- Brecht Serraes, Doctor
-
-
Participation Criteria
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Child
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Sampling Method
Probability Sample
Study Population
This retrospective study will include adult patients aged ≥18 years who were hospitalised between 2010 and 2026 and had a tracheostomy cannula during their hospitalisation.
The study population will include patients with a tracheotomy, permanent tracheostomy, or laryngectomy, irrespective of whether care was provided with curative or palliative intent.
Both patients admitted to the intensive care unit and those subsequently transferred to inpatient wards will be included.
Patients receiving ambulatory care or day hospitalisation will be excluded.
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Hospitalisation between 2010 and 2026 in VITAZ (general hospital, Belgium)
- Age ≥18 years.
- Presence of a tracheostomy cannula (tracheotomy, permanent tracheostomy, or laryngectomy).
- Curative and palliative patients will be included.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Ambulatory care
- Day hospitalisation
Study Plan
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
How is the study designed?
Design Details
Cohorts and Interventions
Group / Cohort |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Pre-intervention cohort: Before specialised tracheostomy team implementation
Hospitalised patients with a tracheostomy cannula who received routine clinical care before the establishment and implementation of the specialised multidisciplinary tracheostomy team.
This cohort serves as the pre-intervention comparison group.
|
|
|
Post-intervention cohort: After specialised tracheostomy team implementation
Hospitalised patients with a tracheostomy cannula who received care after the establishment and implementation of the specialised multidisciplinary tracheostomy team.
|
The intervention of interest is the implementation of the specialised multidisciplinary tracheostomy team, which provides structured, team-based care for patients with a tracheostomy cannula.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Tracheo(s)tomy-related ICU readmission
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Occurrence of readmission to the intensive care unit due to tracheo(s)tomy cannula-related problems.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Successful decannulation
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Successful decannulation of the tracheo(s)tomy cannula according to predefined criteria derived from the literature.
The proportion of patients achieving successful decannulation will be compared between the pre-intervention and post-intervention cohorts.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Tracheo(s)tomy-related complications
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Occurrence of predefined canulla-related complications, including airway obstruction, wound infection, bleeding, ... .
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Performance of FEES
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Performance of a fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) during hospitalisation.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Total hospital length of stay
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
From hospital admission until hospital discharge
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Use of high-flow oxygen therapy or active humidification
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Use of high-flow oxygen therapy and/or active humidification during hospitalisation.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Time to tracheo(s)tomy
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Number of days from hospital admission to the performance of the tracheo(s)tomy.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Time from ICU admission to transfer to an inpatient ward
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Duration of intensive care unit stay before transfer to an inpatient ward.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Length of ICU stay following canulla-related readmission
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Duration of intensive care unit stay following readmission due to cannula-related problems.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Mortality due to cannulla-related complications
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Occurrence of death attributable to tracheo(s)tomy- or cannula-related complications.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Use of a speaking valve
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Occurrence and use of a speaking valve during hospitalisation.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
|
Responsible medical discipline
Time Frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Location and discipline responsible for tracheostomy placement.
|
through study completion, an average of 1 year
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Sponsor
Publications and helpful links
The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.
General Publications
- Ninan A, Grubb LM, Brenner MJ, Pandian V. Effectiveness of interprofessional tracheostomy teams: A systematic review. J Clin Nurs. 2023 Oct;32(19-20):6967-6986. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16815. Epub 2023 Jul 3.
- Speed L, Harding KE. Tracheostomy teams reduce total tracheostomy time and increase speaking valve use: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Crit Care. 2013 Apr;28(2):216.e1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2012.05.005. Epub 2012 Aug 27.
- Parker V, Giles M, Shylan G, Austin N, Smith K, Morison J, Archer W. Tracheostomy management in acute care facilities--a matter of teamwork. J Clin Nurs. 2010 May;19(9-10):1275-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2009.03155.x. Epub 2010 Mar 18.
- Holmes TR, Cumming BD, Sideris AW, Lee JW, Briggs NE, Havas TE. Multidisciplinary Tracheotomy Teams: An Analysis of Patient Outcomes and Resource Allocation. Ear Nose Throat J. 2019 Apr-May;98(4):232-237. doi: 10.1177/0145561319840103. Epub 2019 Apr 2.
- Garrubba M, Turner T, Grieveson C. Multidisciplinary care for tracheostomy patients: a systematic review. Crit Care. 2009;13(6):R177. doi: 10.1186/cc8159. Epub 2009 Nov 6.
- Brenner MJ, Pandian V, Milliren CE, Graham DA, Zaga C, Morris LL, Bedwell JR, Das P, Zhu H, Lee Y Allen J, Peltz A, Chin K, Schiff BA, Randall DM, Swords C, French D, Ward E, Sweeney JM, Warrillow SJ, Arora A, Narula A, McGrath BA, Cameron TS, Roberson DW. Global Tracheostomy Collaborative: data-driven improvements in patient safety through multidisciplinary teamwork, standardisation, education, and patient partnership. Br J Anaesth. 2020 Jul;125(1):e104-e118. doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2020.04.054. Epub 2020 May 23.
Study record dates
These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Estimated)
August 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
December 31, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
March 31, 2027
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
July 24, 2026
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
August 6, 2026
First Posted (Actual)
August 10, 2026
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
August 10, 2026
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
August 6, 2026
Last Verified
August 1, 2026
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Other Study ID Numbers
- EC26004 (Other Identifier: VITAZ, commissie voor medische ethiek)
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
NO
Study Data/Documents
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
No
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