{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,6]],"date-time":"2026-09-06T10:43:50Z","timestamp":1788691430808,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,22]],"date-time":"2020-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1595376000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Tracheostomy is a commonly performed intervention in patients requiring ventilatory support. The insertion of inappropriately sized tracheostomy tubes carries a risk of decannulation, tissue damage, ventilatory difficulties, premature tube change or discomfort. Currently, no clear guidelines exist in determining the most appropriate size tube. Imaging of the airway preoperatively could aid clinical judgement and reduce risk. Patients included adult critical care patients who had appropriate preoperative imaging. The computed tomography scans and chest radiographs of patients were reviewed. Measurements of the airway were taken and scaled to the known internal diameter of an endotracheal tube. A four-point scoring system was developed to identify patients better suited to a non-standard sized tracheostomy tube. Data from 23 patients was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences\u2122 (SPSS). Four measured points on imaging corresponded to the patients\u2019 appropriate tracheostomy tube size. Appropriate tracheostomy size correlates with tracheal diameter at endotracheal tube tip (r2 = 0.135), carina (r2 = 0.128), midpoint of larynx to carina (r2 = 0.146), bronchial diameter at the left mainstem (r2 = 0.323), and intrathoracic tracheal length (r2 = 0.23). Among our cohort, a score of 4 predicts the need for a larger tracheostomy tube. Simple imaging provides accurate measurement of patients\u2019 airway dimensions. Our method ensures tube size is selected according to patient airway size, and potentially reduces the risks associated with inappropriate sizing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics10080506","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,22]],"date-time":"2020-07-22T03:23:16Z","timestamp":1595388196000},"page":"506","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["X-Ray and CT Scan Based Prediction of Best Fit Tracheostomy Tube\u2014A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5320-1015","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mel","family":"Corbett","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, University Hospital Limerick, V94F858 Limerick, Ireland"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital Limerick, V94858 Limerick, Ireland"},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, University Hospital Limerick, V94F858 Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isobel","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, University Hospital Limerick, V94F858 Limerick, Ireland"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital Limerick, V94858 Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John","family":"O\u2019Shea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, University Hospital Limerick, V94F858 Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9892-9920","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthew G.","family":"Davey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, University Hospital Limerick, V94F858 Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jane","family":"Savage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, University Hospital Limerick, V94F858 Limerick, Ireland"},{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital Limerick, V94858 Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joseph","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital Limerick, V94858 Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fintan","family":"Wallis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, University Hospital Limerick, V94F858 Limerick, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.12968\/hmed.2015.76.3.163","article-title":"\u2018On the Right Trach?\u2019 A review of the care received by patients who undergo tracheostomy","volume":"76","author":"Wilkinson","year":"2015","journal-title":"Br. J. Hosp. Med. (Lond. Engl. 2005)"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"895","DOI":"10.4187\/respcare.02971","article-title":"Tracheostomy: Epidemiology, indications, timing, technique, and outcomes","volume":"59","author":"Cheung","year":"2014","journal-title":"Respir. Care"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"95","DOI":"10.1177\/1751143714567038","article-title":"Tracheostomy care in 2015: Are we on the right trach?","volume":"16","author":"Rangasami","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Intensive Care Soc."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"544","DOI":"10.1186\/s13054-014-0544-7","article-title":"Percutaneous and surgical tracheostomy in critically ill adult patients: A meta-analysis","volume":"18","author":"Putensen","year":"2014","journal-title":"Crit. 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