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The influencing factors for tracheostomy decannulation after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: a retrospective study

Spinal Cord volume 63, pages 43–48 (2025)Cite this article

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A Correction to this article was published on 09 December 2024

This article has been updated

Abstract

Study design

Retrospective study.

Objective

To investigate the outcomes and influencing factors of tracheostomy decannulation (TD) in persons with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting

China Rehabilitation Research Center (CRRC) in Beijing, China.

Methods

From January 2017 to December 2021, 365 persons with traumatic cervical SCI were admitted to the China Rehabilitation Research Center. During hospitalization, tracheostomy patients were enrolled and divided into the TD group and non-TD group. Demographic and clinical data, as well as functional assessments, were collected and recorded for all persons. The factors influencing TD were analyzed using both univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

Results

A total of 78 persons with traumatic cervical SCI from CRRC were enrolled in this study. Of these, 48 persons (61.5%) underwent successful decannulation, with a median time of 93.5 days (IQR: 62.0–143.8 days). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that AIS A (P = 0.021, OR: 5.378, 95% CI, 1.287–22.474) and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) (P = 0.003, OR: 1.836, 95% CI, 1.230–2.740) were significant risk factors of reduced success in TD. PEF in the TD group was 145.44 ± 50.56 L/min. Middle-aged and young persons with traumatic cervical SCI at C3 to C5 neurological level did not satisfy the criterion of PEF (over 160 L/min), but they can still attempt tracheostomy decannulation.

Conclusion

AIS A and a high CCI will reduce the success rate of tracheostomy decannulation in persons suffering from traumatic cervical SCI.

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Fig. 1: The selection process for persons with traumatic cervical SCI.
Fig. 2: ROC curves affecting tracheotomy decannulation in persons with traumatic cervical SCI.

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Data availability

The dataset generated and analyzed during the current study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Change history

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Medical Record Room of the China Rehabilitation Research Center for their generous help. We would like to thank Mr. Li Peng Kun from the Statistics Office of the China Rehabilitation Research Center for guiding the statistical analysis.

Funding

Our research project was supported by the Research and Translation Application of the Capital’s Unique Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Technology (No: Z221100007422024) and China Rehabilitation Research Center (No: 2023ZX-Q12).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Yongqi Xie, Weichao Zhao.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

    Yongqi Xie, Run Peng, Liang Zhang, Mingliang Yang & Lianjun Gao

  2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Foshan, China

    Yongqi Xie

  3. Department of Spine and Neurological Reconstruction, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China

    Yongqi Xie, Run Peng, Liang Zhang & Mingliang Yang

  4. Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Ninth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China

    Weichao Zhao

  5. School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong, China

    Yunxiao Jia

  6. Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Injury and Rehabilitation, Beijing, China

    Mingliang Yang

  7. Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China

    Mingliang Yang

  8. Department of Respiratory Medicine, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Beijing, China

    Lianjun Gao

Authors
  1. Yongqi Xie
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Contributions

Xie Yongqi interpreted the results and wrote the manuscript. Zhao Weichao interpreted the data and revised the article. Peng Run and Zhang Liang were responsible for collecting the data. Jia Yunxiao analyzed the data and made figures and tables. Gao Lianjun was responsible for interpreting the results and providing funding support. Yang Mingliang provided funding support and did language modification. All authors contributed to the editorial process and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Mingliang Yang or Lianjun Gao.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the institution’s medical ethics committee (CRRC-IEC-RF-SC-002-01). And patient consent was not required as existing databases are used. This study followed the Declaration of Helsinki and the Guidelines for the Reporting of Observational Studies.

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The original online version of this article was revised: In this article the author’s name Lianjun Gao was incorrectly written as Lianjun Guo.

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Xie, Y., Zhao, W., Peng, R. et al. The influencing factors for tracheostomy decannulation after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury: a retrospective study. Spinal Cord 63, 43–48 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-024-01048-8

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