The authors present a retrospective analysis of results and complications of elective tracheostomy interventions performed in the period of January 1998 till December 2003 at the intensive care units of General Teaching Hospital in Prague. The cohort included 543 patients, 309 men and 234 women. In the period of observation, 430 standard surgical interventions and 113 puncture dilatation tracheostomy interventions were performed. In two cases the puncture dilatation tracheostomy was converted into standard one. The standard surgical tracheostomy interventions were by otolaryngologists, in the puncture dilatation tracheostomy interventions the participating physicians were intensive care specialists and an otolaryngologist. Themost frequently represented group of patients was between 61 and 80 years of life, representing 285 individuals (52.4%). Themost frequent indication for tracheostomywas the necessary artificial lung ventilation and providing conditions for cleaning respiratory pathways. The average period of endotracheal intubation before tracheostomy was seven days (rage 13 minutes to 21 days). For the period of 71 months the cannula was removed in 167 patients (30.7%), 78 patients (14.3%) continue to carry the cannula and 298 (54.8%) of patients carrying cannula died for complications of basic disease. The postoperation complications included those, which evolved during the intervention or in the subsequent 24 hours. In the standard surgical technique the peroperation complications occurred five times (0.9%). In the puncture dilatation tracheostomy the peroperation complications occurred 13 times (2.3%). The early postoperation complications are considered to be those, which occurred on day 2 to 7 after the intervention. In the standard surgical tracheostomy these were encountered 33 times (6%) and in the puncture dilatation technique 21 times (3.9%). The late postoperation complications included those, which occurred seven days after the intervention or later. Thesewere observed 6 times (1.1%) in standard surgical tracheostomy and once (0.1%) in puncture dilatation intervention.

        Key words: standard surgical tracheostomy, puncture dilatation tracheostomy, artificial lung ventilation.