Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| Variables | Total (n=99) | Subglottic or stoma type (n=59) | Cuff or tip type (n=40) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 58 (44–70) | 58 (49–70) | 55 (33–70) | 0.269 |
| Male | 52 (52.5) | 33 (55.9) | 19 (47.5) | 0.421 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 21.4 (19.2–23.2) | 21.7 (20.0–23.6) | 20.7 (17.8–22.4) | 0.042 |
| Poor performance status* | 62 (62.6) | 34 (57.6) | 28 (70.0) | 0.290 |
| Reason for tracheostomy | ||||
| Medical | 72 (72.7) | 46 (78.0) | 26 (65.0) | 0.174 |
| Neurological disease | 35 (35.3) | 19 (32.2) | 16 (40.0) | 0.521 |
| Respiratory failure | 19 (19.2) | 14 (23.7) | 5 (12.5) | 0.200 |
| Heart failure | 9 (9.1) | 6 (10.2) | 3 (7.5) | 0.736 |
| Septic shock | 3 (3.0) | 3 (5.1) | 0 | 0.270 |
| Burn | 3 (3.0) | 2 (3.4) | 1 (2.5) | 1.000 |
| Drug intoxication | 2 (2.0) | 1 (1.7) | 1 (2.5) | 1.000 |
| Obesity | 1 (1.0) | 1 (1.7) | 0 | 1.000 |
| Trauma | 27 (27.3) | 13 (22.0) | 14 (35.0) | 0.174 |
| Previous treatment history at another hospital | 26 (26.3)† | 13 (22.0) | 13 (32.5) | 0.256 |
| Severity of tracheal stenosis (Myer and Cotton grade‡) | 0.660 | |||
| I | 5 (5.0) | 3 (5.1) | 2 (5.0) | |
| II | 10 (10.1) | 5 (8.5) | 5 (12.5) | |
| III | 9 (9.1) | 7 (11.9) | 2 (5.0) | |
| IV | 75 (75.8) | 44 (74.6) | 31 (77.5) | |
| Length of stenosis (mm) | 25 (19–35) | 27 (20–35) | 25 (15–38) | 0.640 |
| Stenosis types | ||||
| Fibrosis | 74 (74.7) | 48 (81.4) | 26 (65.0) | 0.098 |
| Granulation | 56 (56.6) | 33 (55.9) | 23 (57.5) | 1.000 |
| Malacia | 20 (20.2) | 11 (18.6) | 9 (22.5) | 0.799 |
| Mixed | 48 (48.5) | 32 (54.2) | 16 (40.0) | 0.219 |
Data are presented as n (%) or median (IQR). *, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance grade ≥3 means patients were confined to a bed or chair more than 50% of the day; ‡, categorization based on the percentage of reduction in cross-sectional area: grade 1, ≤50% lumenal stenosis; grade II, 51–70% lumenal stenosis; grade III, 71–99% lumenal stenosis; grade IV, no lumen, intubation or tracheostomy state due to respiratory failure before interventional bronchoscopy; †, in patients with subglottic or stoma type, Montgomery T-tube (n=5), surgical correction (n=4), ballooning (n=3), and laser therapy (n=3) were undergone at previous hospital. In patients with cuff or tip type, Montgomery T-tube (n=6), surgical correction (n=5), metallic stent (n=3), ballooning (n=2), and laser therapy (n=2) were undergone at previous hospital. Patients could undergo more than one procedure at previous hospital. IQR, interquartile range.