A case of an infant weighing approximately 1100 g who underwent tracheostomy

Abstract

With the progress of medical care, the lifesaving rate of premature babies in Japan is high, and the number of infants undergoing tracheostomy is increasing proportionally. Compared to adults, tracheostomy in infants carries a higher risk of complications, necessitating more careful surgery and specific indications. For safety reasons, it is recommended to perform tracheostomy when the infant weighs 3000 g or more, if it is possible to stand by. However, in recent years, there have been increasing reports of tracheostomy being performed during Ex utero intrapartum treatment procedures for ultra-low birth weight infants. There has also been an increase in the number of cases in which tracheostomy is required in a low birth weight infant without waiting for a weight gain of up to 3000 g. In our case, tracheostomy was performed on a patient weighing approximately 1100 g because tracheal intubation was clinically difficult to manage. Adjusting the type and position of the cannula in preoperative image evaluation, postoperative tracheal endoscopy, and image examination was beneficial in preventing serious postoperative complications.