Mortality of COVID-19 patients who underwent tracheostomy at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Surabaya

Introduction: The elevated incidence of unsuccessful ventilator weaning and endotracheal extubation in COVID-19 patients indicates the necessity of tracheostomy. Tracheostomy can expedite the weaning process and decrease the occurrence of problems. The author aims to investigate the frequency of death among COVID-19 patients who received tracheostomy to determine the potential benefits of tracheostomy in treating COVID-19, particularly in facilitating the transition from mechanical ventilation to reducing airway problems. Method: This study is a cross-sectional observational analytic descriptive study. Data were taken from the medical records of COVID-19 patients who underwent tracheostomy insertion surgery at RSUD Dr. Soetomo Surabaya in the period January 2022 - December 2023 Results: Of the 50 patients who underwent tracheostomy, 33 patients (34%) were female, and 17 patients (66%) were male, with an average patient age of 20.7 years and, the youngest age was 1 year, the oldest age was 77 years. The mean time of tracheostomy insertion in the sample was 3.669 days, with the shortest time of insertion being 1 day and the longest being 22 days. There were 12 patients (24%) who confirmed COVID-19 and 38 patients (76%) who did not confirm COVID-19. A total of 20 patients (40%) were alive after tracheostomy insertion, while 30 patients (60%) died. Conclusion: The mortality prevalence of COVID-19 patients with tracheostomy treated at Soetomo General Hospital Surabaya from 2022 to 2023 was 60%.