Tracheotomy in COVID-19 patients: preliminary experience and technical refinements

The COVID‐19 pandemic is deeply affecting the surgical landscape. In this context, tracheotomy is considered one of the riskiest procedures5, but our experience suggests that rational measures and teamwork can significantly reduce the risk of transmission to staff. Few real‐life data about tracheotomy in intubated patients with COVID‐19 exist. To avoid aerosolization and airflow from lower airways, we open the trachea above the endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff via an open surgical technique, following guidelines, with some technical refinements outlined here.