Safety evaluation of a stepwise tracheostomy decannulation program in pediatric patients

This 12-year retrospective study evaluates a four-phase stepwise tracheostomy decannulation protocol in 77 pediatric patients, demonstrating an 18.6% failure rate distributed across all phases. The phased approach—from capping trials to outpatient monitoring—identifies patients at risk for decannulation failure, with most failures due to desaturation or dyspnea.