Table 1: Baseline characteristics of no tracheostomy, elective tracheostomy and delayed tracheostomy groups.

 

No tracheostomy

Elective tracheostomy

Delayed tracheostomy

P value

Patients

number

98

36

23

 

Age (years)

Mean (SD)

62.62 (9.64)

64.11 (9.51)

60.30 (9.37)

0.333

Male
n (%)

83 (85)

32 (89)

21 (92)

0.635

ASA 1-2

ASA 3-4

n (%)

73 (74)

25 (26)

 

11 (31)

25 (69)

 

13 (57)

10 (43)

 

< 0.001

APACHE II

Mean (SD)

16.45 (4.81)

20.09 (5.23)

18.19 (5.46)

0.001

BMI

Mean (SD)

26.54 (4.00)

29.21 (7.04)

30.12 (5.08)

0.002

Non-smoker

 Ex-smoker

 Current smoker

n (%)

41 (42)

50 (51)

7 (7)

2 (6)

27 (75)

7 (19)

8 (35)

12 (52)

3 (13)

0.002

Nodes negative

Nodes positive

n (%)

52 (54)

44 (46)

23 (66)

12 (34)

10 (43)

13 (57)

0.236

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy

n (%)

77 (79)

29 (81)

17 (74)

0.600

Completed neoadjuvant chemotherapy

n (%)

71 (72)

25 (69)

17 (74)

0.337

Preoperative POSSUMP

Median (IQR)

19 (15-22)

21 (18-25)

16 (14-21)

0.035

FEV1 (liter) +

mean (SD)

3.21 (0.68)

3.07 (1.03)

2.69 (0.69)

0.207

FVC (liter) +

mean (SD)

4.29 (0.97)

4.05 (0.98)

3.67 (0.72)

0.170

Anaerobic threshold (AT)* VO2 (ml/kg/min)
mean (SD)

12.17 (3.06)

10.65 (2.51)

11.26 (2.00)

0.043

VO2-Max (ml/kg/min)*

mean (SD)

19.10 (4.32)

16.83 (3.48)

17.01 (3.71)

0.023

AT work (Watts)*

mean (SD)

71.84 (27.94)

64.60 (30.51)

69.24 (22.26)

0.533

Lap-assisted

Open

n (%)

49 (50)

49(50)

16 (44)

20 (56)

8 (35)

15 (65)

0.404

2 Stage

3 Stage

n (%)

97 (99)

1 (1)

31 (86)

5 (14)

23 (100)

0

0.006

Duration surgery

(Minutes)

Median (IQR)

399 (73)

475 (64)

434 (98)

<0.001

Intraoperative fluid (liter)

Median (SD)

2.96 (1.55)

3.50 (1.06)

2.90 (1.40)

0.131

Estimated blood loss (ml)

Median (IQR)

500 (300-755)

450 (300-550)

546 (400-682)

0.711

*Not all patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Numbers were: no tracheostomy 57/98, elective tracheostomy 30/36 and Delayed tracheostomy 18/23.

+Not all patients underwent pulmonary function testing. Numbers were: No tracheostomy 49/98, elective tracheostomy 27/36 and delayed tracheostomy 9/23.

SD: Standard deviation; n: Number; ASA: American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification system; APACHE: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; BMI: Body Mass Index; POSSUM P: Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and Morbidity Portsmouth; IQR: Interquartile Range; FEV1: Forced Expiratory Volume in one second; FVC: Forced Vital Capacity; AT: Anaerobic Threshold; ml/kg/min: milliliters per kilogram per minute; VO2 max: Maximal oxygen consumption.