Most common complication of tracheostomy is:

Ans: B (Surgical emphysema) Ref: Diseases of the Ear Nose and Throat by PL Dhingra.5'h, edn .2010.page 340 Tracheostomy A multiprofessional handbook by Claudia Russell and Basil Malta page 51Explanation:Out of the given options, surgical emphysema is the most commonComplications of Tracheostomyincidence of complications ranges from 5 to 40%Most commonly occurring complications are haemorrhage, tube obstruction and tube displacementDeath may occur in 0.5 to 1.6% of cases and is mostly due to tube displacementComplications are 2 to 5 fold in emergency tracheotomies in comparison to elective onesComplications can be divided intoImmediate -Seen during surgery like haemorrhage, apnoea, Pneumothorax, injury to oesophagusIntermediate- During first few hours or days like secondary bleeding, infection, tube block or displacementDelayed - Seen with prolonged use of tube for weeks like laryngeal or tracheal stenosis, trachea-oesophageal fistula, and haemorrhage due to erosion of a major vessel.