TRACH-Support: A Conversation Tool for Tracheostomy and Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation

Navigation Pane

Additional Resources

Risks and Benefits

The risks and benefits can be divided into SHORT-TERM (some of which are related to the surgery itself) and LONG-TERM. It is important to talk about potential risks and benefits for your loved one with the medical team.

Short-Term Benefits

Long-Term Benefits

Short-Term Risks

Long-Term Risks

Previous
Next

University of Colorado, School of Medicine | Legal Notices | Privacy Policy

The Patient decision aids on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.The material provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not provided as medical advice. Nothing contained in these pages is intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Any individual should consult with his or her own physician before starting any new treatment or with any question you may have regarding a medical condition. No personal health information will be collected from users. Contact information is only collected if the user requests additional information regarding one of the tools. Last Updated 10/31/2019

Funding by the National Institutes on Aging (1K23AG040696) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PI000116-01).

© 2024 Colorado Program for Patient Centered Decisions. All rights reserved
  • A tracheostomy lets patients be connected to a breathing machine for longer than a tube in the mouth (prolonged life support)
  • For most patients, tracheostomy tubes are more comfortable
  • Most patients need less sedation
  • It is easier to participate in physical therapy with a tracheostomy
  • Some patients can learn to eat and talk with a tracheostomy tube in but it can take a long-time
  • For patients who recover and no longer need a breathing machine, the tracheostomy tube can be temporary and the hole can heal on its own
  • Bleeding with a very rare risk of life-threatening bleeding
  • The tracheostomy surgery can briefly worsen oxygen levels for some patients.
  • Pain
  • Patients with tracheostomies continue to be at risk of severe infections including pneumonia
  • Tracheostomies do not make the lungs heal faster
  • Most patients with a tracheostomy require a long time in the hospital, possibly weeks to months. Some are never able to leave the hospital
  • Many patients with a tracheostomy who survive struggle to return to previous function