Microbiological profiles of tracheostomy patients: a single-center experience

Background: This study compared the prevalence of common microorganisms in obstructed and non-obstructed cases across the four quarters on the first post-tracheostomy year. Methods: A retrospective chart review of the microbiological profiles of all adult patients who underwent a tracheostomy was conducted between June 2015 and September 2019 at our hospital. Based on the tracheostomy indications, patients were allocated to obstructed or non-obstructed group. Any patient with at least one positive sample was followed up quarterly for a year. The first culture result obtained was recorded at least one month following the last antibiotic dose in each quarter. Results: Out of the 65 tracheal aspirate results obtained from 58 patients (mean age, 57.5 +/- 16.48 years), the most common procedure and indications were surgical tracheostomy (72.4%) and non-obstructed causes (74.1%), respectively. Moreover, 47.7% of the culture results indicated Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which showed significantly different proportions across the quarters (p=0.006). Among obstructed patients, P. aeruginosa was the most common (35%), followed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; 23.5%). Conclusions: The most common post-tracheostomy microorganism was P. aeruginosa. MRSA showed a strong association with tracheostomy for obstructive indications.