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Tracheostomy home care: in a resource-limited setting

Introduction Home tracheostomy care for children in South Africa dates back to 1989. Objective This study aimed to describe the tracheostomy home programme at Tygerberg Children's Hospital (TCH), situated in a resource-limited setting in Cape Town, South Africa. Design Retrospective descriptive study. Setting Tracheostomy home programme at TCH. The primary care giver is trained by nurses. Results Fifty-six children (29 girls) were discharged to the home programme (47 to home and 9 to institutions). The median age at tracheostomy was 3 months, mainly for airway obstruction. The mean duration of home care was 26.6 months. Twenty-seven children (43%) were successfully decannulated. Seven children lived in informal housing. The 56 children generated 745 social work contacts. The overall survival was 82%. Conclusion Children with tracheostomies can be safely cared for at home, even in a resource-constrained environment, provided training, appropriate technology and social support services are available.