Comparison of surgical and percutaneous dilational tracheostomy.

When significant clinical end points are considered, PDT is a cost-effective and safe alternative to ST in critically ill patients in the ICU when performed by skilled and experienced practitioners [1, 40]. There are insufficient data to establish clear superiority of either technique. Important advantages of PDT may include eliminating the need for operating room facilities and personnel by the performance of the procedure at the bedside and significantly decreasing the time interval between the decision to perform tracheostomy and the actual procedure [1, 2, 20].