Re: Patients’ experience of temporary tracheostomy after microvascular reconstruction for cancer of the head and neck

In their recent paper, Rogers et al. have given a valuable insight into patients' thoughts about temporary tracheostomy after microvascular reconstruction for cancer of the head and neck.1 They report that the key general observation was fear, specifically a fear of choking. A total of 47% of patients in the study had their tracheostomy in situ for more than 7days and 60% said they would very much prefer to avoid a tracheostomy if possible. The authors concluded that not all patients who have free-flap reconstruction will require tracheostomy.

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