Weifei Li,* Yanjie Hu,* Yan Hu,* Meng Zhou, Yuehua Li, Jun Peng

Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, Wuhan Institute for Tuberculosis Control, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Jun Peng; Yuehua Li, Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, Wuhan Institute for Tuberculosis Control, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China, Email pengjun_wh@163.com; liyuehua_wh@163.com

Aim: Tracheotomy has become more prevalent in clinical settings, and effectively managing postoperative complications plays a crucial role in determining patient outcomes. However, there is a scarcity of clinical research focusing on the development of intratracheal granuloma after tracheotomy, and there is insufficient theoretical support for early detection in clinical settings. This study investigates the relationship between clinical factors and the occurrence and location of intratracheal granuloma.
Methods: Clinical parameters from 872 patients who underwent tracheotomy between January 1, 2010, and December 30, 2018, were collected from the Hospital Information System. A retrospective analysis was conducted, focusing on factors such as age, gender, smoking history, comorbidities, primary lesion location, benign versus malignant primary disease, pulmonary infection, duration of tracheal intubation prior to tracheotomy, surgical method and other factors.
Results: Intratracheal granuloma was observed in 50 (5.73%) cases of all tracheotomy patients. Factors such as smoking history, primary lesion location, and pulmonary infection were associated with the occurrence of intratracheal granuloma. Additionally, multivariate logistic regression identified smoking, pulmonary disease and pulmonary infection as independent risk factors for the development of intratracheal granuloma following tracheotomy. Regarding the location of the granuloma, 42 cases (84%) were found in the proximal trachea, while the remaining cases were located in the distal trachea. Univariate analysis indicated that age, gender, smoking history, and primary lesion location were related to the location of intratracheal granuloma. The median interval between the detection of intratracheal granuloma and tracheotomy was 52 days.
Conclusion: Considering the occurrence and location of intratracheal granulomas following tracheotomy, along with the associated risk factors outlined above, it is imperative that clinicians give these issues due attention in practice. Furthermore, approximately 50% of intratracheal granulomas develop within 52 days post-tracheotomy, offering valuable insights for clinicians in formulating effective follow-up strategies.

Keywords: tracheotomy, intratracheal granuloma, pulmonary infection